In the Sonoran Sun

“In Japan, we practice something called forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku. Shinrin in Japanese means “forest,” and yoku means “bath.” So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmos...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2018/06/forest-bathing-or-tracking-trogon.html

It is becoming increasingly important that we communicate to the public the reasons that we have wildlife in captivity. A vital part of that story is giving a home to animals that have been inju...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-visit-to-southwest-wildlife.html

One Friday at the Desert Museum, another docent and I separately witnessed an interesting interaction between a raven and a smaller raptor, most likely an accipiter (Cooper’s hawk or sha...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2017/05/mobbing-behavior-in-birds.html

Last week, fellow docents and I were having a conversation, prompted by a question to one of them from a visitor, regarding the relationship between a palo verde and a saguaro. It was obvious ...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2017/05/symbiosis.html

There are few ailments of the body and soul that cannot be soothed by a walk in nature.  And, thus it was that post-election depression sent my like-minded friend and co-worker and I up into the...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/11/turning-down-noise.html

Tucson, Arizona After a busy winter season, things are beginning to slow down at the Desert Museum.The heat is ramping up, getting ready for summer's blast. Out-of-town visitors find somewhere...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/05/docent-diaries-update-from-desert-museum.html

What's black and orange and beaded all over? Why, a big, fat, venomous lizard, that's what! The Legendary Gila Monster, that almost mythical creature of the Wild West, about whom tall tales...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/05/gila-monster-visit-from-old-friend.html

All of a sudden, it seems, the colors of the desert burst forth, and for a short, glorious time, flowers everywhere are advertising their wares to potential pollinators and awed onlookers.  From...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-walk-in-spring.html

Each spring during the University of Arizona's spring break, the campus is taken over by the incredible and ever-growing Tucson Festival of Books .  Anything and everything book-related is repr...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/03/on-beaten-bumpy-path.html

Opuntia basilaris The rocky, almost barren desert of the lower Colorado River valley comes alive in March after winter rains and warm temperatures.  Yellow creosote bush blooms, brittlebush...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/03/beavertail-on-colorado.html

If you love beautiful rocks, gems, meteorites, fossils and minerals, you’re attracted to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show like moths to a light.  It’s not about buying anything, or needi...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/02/ive-got-blues.html

It never ceases to amaze me how much litter I find on my walks, whether they be in cities, or on remote nature trails.  I am almost compulsive about picking it up.  My sisters and I spend Chris...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-can-you-do-this.html

One of the great joys of living in Tucson is the year-around presence of hummingbirds.  This year, in particular, for whatever reason, the hummingbird population at my feeders has exploded. ...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-hummingbird-tale.html

It seems that last post kind of left you hanging, didn't it.  That certainly wasn't my intention.  Forgive me and let's pick up the trail. Traveling north on Highway 89 out of Flagstaff, I fo...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2016/02/blowing-in-wind.html

I was anxious to get to Reno to see an old friend who is not doing well, and I let that cloud my judgement about when to travel.  I saw there was a camp space at Zion NP for four nights over...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2015/09/starting-north-flagstaff.html

A blog is most definitely a commitment.  I admire the many bloggers I follow who can find something interesting to write every day, and they commit to doing it.  That, apparently, is not me.  ...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2015/06/commitment-issues.html

Here's wishing you joyous holidays, and a New Year filled with the beauty of nature and the love of family and friends.

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2014/12/holiday-greetings.html

What do you get when you add water to the desert?  A jungle, of course.  The Sonoran Desert is already one of the wettest deserts on earth, pushing the limits of what constitutes a desert.  A...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2014/11/jungle-fever.html

I love to go exploring, whether it be across the world, or just across the state.  There's always something new to see. And so it was with this short trip to central Arizona's Verde Valley, ...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2014/05/verde-valley-visit.html

Hummer hovering over flowering saguaro Springtime in the desert often brings gusty winds caused by pressure ridging across the southwest.  Today is especially nasty with the strong winds br...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2014/05/blowing-into-may.html

Prickly Pear Opuntia sp. The cactus are bursting into bloom, at the Desert Museum we're doing Wildflower Walks and Cactus Tours, so what better time to think about the Prickly Pears. In ...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2014/04/prickly-pear.html

No matter what my assignment, I love my docent duties at the Desert Museum.  Some jobs, however, are more fun than others.  For the past two years, my friend Mary Lou and I have been the Day Ca...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2014/04/docent-diaries.html

It was just a quick trip down to "Tucson's Beach" - Puerto Peñasco, at the head of the Gulf of California, aka the Sea of Cortez.  Rapid development is taking over the once-lonely beaches, ...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2014/03/gulf-getaway.html

 .  .  . OR  THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS. No Room at the Table Around 6 in the evening, there is a literal feeding frenzy at the hummingbird feeders, and the birds' normal competitivene...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2014/03/sunday-chronicle.html

My blog is calling and I find myself feeling guilty for never finishing this fabulous road trip.  So let's shuffle back to September of 2013 and make our way down the spectacular California ...

http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2014/03/road-trip-california-coast.html