Bearded Penstemon — Image by kenne
Bearded penstemons catch the dawn,
Holding drops of silver light.
Hummingbirds dart branch to branch,
Greeting flowers through the bright.
The mountain air is cool and clear,
The canyon streams begin to sing.
Every bloom along the slope
Whispers softly, “It is spring.”
Fly Ptilodexia on Mountain Wildflower — Photo-artistry by kenne
Balanced on delicate petals,
the fly explores a world of color and scent.
What seems ordinary at first glance
becomes extraordinary through the lens,
revealing nature’s intricate connections.
Regal Horned Lizard — Image by kenne
“Horned toad,” they often say,
but names can miss the truth.
This close-up reveals a reptile warrior,
its scales etched like weathered sandstone,
its horns standing guard above calm eyes.
Neither toad nor myth,
but a regal horned lizard—
one of the desert’s most remarkable creations.
Bearded Penstemons — Image by kenne
High upon the mountain trail,
Where pine and aspen share the breeze,
The bearded penstemon blooms bright
Among the grasses and the trees.
Its petals gather drops of rain,
Its stems bend lightly in the wind,
Yet every blossom seems to hold
The strength of stone beneath its skin.
When sunset paints the distant peaks
In amber, rose, and fading gold,
The penstemon keeps its quiet watch,
A mountain treasure to behold.
Spring Awakening -- Image by kenne
Along the mountain's winding trail,
Spring scatters blossoms on the breeze.
Purple lupines sway and bow,
While golden poppies light the leaves.
The Santa Catalinas glow
In shades of yellow, red, and blue.
Each blossom is a mountain song,
Brief, bright, and forever true.
The marine blue butterfly wears
its colors like a living watercolor,
drifting between gray and blue
as it dances through the air,
each turn of its wings
creating a new masterpiece of light.
A Desire to Hike In Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
She was visiting from Eastern Europe
and wanted to see the desert on foot.
Sabino Canyon unfolded before her step by step—
a landscape of stone, cactus, and sky—
while friendship bridged the miles between our worlds.
Silver-spotted Skipper, a Little Rough Around the Edges — Image by kenne
Hiking into the Morning Sun — Image by kenne
Image and Poem by kenne
Rose Lake in the Catalina Mountains — Image by kenne
— kenne
White Clouds Under a Cloud Cover — Image by kenne
— kenne
Great Horned Owl — Image by kenne
— kenne
Richardson’s Geranium — Image by kenne
Marine Blues On Moist Rocks Near a Mountain Stream — Image by kenne
Butterflies on moist rocks,
suddenly the world makes sense.
Color speaking to color,
wing touching wind.
Yes, I think—
this is how things work.
Then, the butterflies lift,
vanish off the rocks,
and the rocks stand alone
with their quiet question.
I get it.
Then I don’t.
— kenne
