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.
Flame Skimmer Dragonfly at Sweetwater Wetlands — Image by kenne
Morning light awakens
Flame skimmer patrols the pond
Day begins in gold
Hiking with Friends -- Image by kenne
Through the empty frame
Friends wander beneath blue skies
Past and present meet
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.
Anna's Hummingbird On Nest -- Image by kenne
A branch, a nest, a bird.
Nothing more is needed.
Spider silk binds the walls,
lichen softens the edges.
The Anna's hummingbird rests there,
breathing with the rhythm of the desert morning.
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.
Image by kenne
A desert sentinel atop a desert giant—
cactus wren and saguaro share the morning.
The artistic background softens the edges of the world,
leaving only the essentials: bird, cactus, sky, and wonder.
Sonoran Sunset -- Image by kenne
The mountains darken, but above them
red, orange, and yellow gather
like old spirits around a fire,
warming the vast desert silence
one final time before night.
Saguaro Sunrise In the Canyon -- Image by kenne
Sabino Canyon at sunrise, stripped to monochrome—
the saguaro becomes an old witness,
arms raised through a hundred dawns,
telling the mountains
that silence is enough.
Broad-billed Hummingbird at Nector Feeder -- Image by kenne
The feeder swings lightly in morning air.
A hummingbird hovers,
tiny engine of wings and hunger,
pausing just long enough
to remind me that beauty
rarely waits for permission
to be noticed.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Saguaro Morning In Colored Pencil — Image by kenne
The mountains hold the background in cool blues and violets,
while the sunrise burns softly at their edges.
In the foreground, the saguaros stand rooted and calm,
their forms rendered in layered greens and ochres.
The whole image feels suspended
between night and day—
between observation
and memory.
Sonoran Spring Wildflowers — Image by kenne
![The enchanted fountain [explored 2026/10/29]](https://i0.wp.com/live.staticflickr.com/65535/55558298283_c3e6c29215_s.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 "The enchanted fountain [explored 2026/10/29]")
