Lichens on rocks along the Wasson Peak trail. — Image by kenne
“Lichen is a composite organism consisting of a fungus (the mycobiont) and a photosynthetic partner
(the photobiont or phycobiont) growing together in a symbiotic relationship. The photobiont is usually either a green alga
(commonly Trebouxia) or cyanobacterium (commonly Nostoc).”
When teaching children about lichen, Sabino Canyon Volunteer Nationalists (SCVN) share this short poem:
“Alice Algae took
a lichen
to Freddie Fungus, but now
their relationship
is on the rocks.”
Panther Peak and Sombrero Peak, Saguaro National Park – West in the Tucson Mountains northeast of Tucson, Arizona. —
View from the Sendero Esperanza Trail Hiking To Wasson Peak Images by kenne (March 14, 2014)
Blackett’s Ridge, End of the Trail Overlooking Sabino Canyon: ‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky!
— Image by kenne
The Blackett’s Ridge trail is a very popular hiking trail in Sabino Canyon. The trail is located on the ridge between Sabino and Bear canyons and ends a little over three miles from the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center, where the hiker has beautiful views, including the nearby Thimble Peak. With an elevation gain of 1,800 feet, most of which takes place about halfway into the hike, 34 switchbacks make the steep climb a little easier for the hiker. You can get a better idea for hiking this trail by watching the video below.
kenne
Hiking Blackett’s Ridge — Images by kenne (Click on any of the images to see slide show.)
“Water, water, water….
There is no shortage
of water in the desert
but exactly the right amount ,
a perfect ratio of water to rock,
water to sand,
insuring that wide free open,
generous spacing among plants and animals,
homes and towns and cities,
which makes the arid West
so different from any other part of the nation.
There is no lack of water here
unless you try to establish a city
where no city should be.”
― Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness
I make my nests among the desert cactus.
Several I will build.
One for my lady to lay her eggs in.
Others to confuse our predators.
I’m not shy, like others of my family.
My lady and I will both sing songs.
Though my Lady is the one who sits upon the eggs.
I will help feed the young just like any daddy should.
I am seven to eights inches long.
My head is brown, and I sport a white eye stripe.
My bill is slightly curved for digging for those bugs.
I’ll flash my spotted tail feathers and flap barred wings.
I hardly ever drink water, even when it there.
I get what I need from the things I eat.
I really love those ants, beetles and grasshoppers.
I will occasionally eat some seeds and fruits.
So if you travel to the deserts
down in the southwestern USA
Look among the cactus for a football nest.
There you might see us flying or at rest.
— wildfiredreamer
Cactus Wrens and Cactus Wren Nests Images by kenne (Click on any image to see slideshow.)
This Agave Stalk Has Grown Over Twelve Feet Since Thanksgiving.
The Power of Tequila! — Image by kenne
Agave [Cactus] by Carol Hamilton
You don’t squeeze tequila from a pumped up, rubbery leaf. Nothing is easy in Mexico, and everything takes time, patience, muscle. Hacking and digging and hacking and a deep pit and fire and time and time and time. I lose time, forget it at the other end of the tequila, but left to me, that cactus would still be standing there on the [Sonora] Desert undisturbed.
“If you like tequila, you will love the art, songs, poems, stories, and recipes in AGAVE.”
Since moving to Tucson and becoming a Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist, I know agaves are not cacti, and I live in the Sonoran Desert, not the Sonora Desert. However, since poets like to take poetic license, I will give Carol a pass on this one.
Edward Abbey wrote in his 1968 book, Desert Solitaire —
“. . . we need nature to “startle the senses and surprise
the mind out of their ruts of habit, to compel us
into a reawakened awareness of the wonderful—
that which is full of wonder.”
Cholla Forest at the Base of Panther Peak in the Tucson Mountains — Panorama Image by kenne
Sonoran Desert
by Tara Trewinnard-Boyle
How lucky am I? I have found my home! In the place of dust and rock where the lizards run, Where hot winds whip and the sun sears through a lapis colored sky. Where Saguaros march uninhibited across the arid land. Miles and miles of emptiness: freedom.
This is the place where Mother Nature still shows her true beauty. Wild and uncompromising, she cuts me down to my rightful size. Teaching me to live without; demand less; appreciate more. Silently reminding me that the race is of my own making. I can be free.
I have found my home. Not the home I was born to but where I belong. The ache of leaving weighs heavy in my heart. But today I can carry with me a gift, humbly offered to all who seek. The desert is more than a place; it is a state of mind. It is life and death, land and sky, struggle and freedom.
Slow! Your frantic pace does not matter here. Breathe and be grounded in your humanness. Be still and find your small place in this vast world. You belong, just as you are. In the silence you can find peace. This is the gift of the desert; for which I am eternally grateful.
Lichens on rocks along the Wasson Peak trail. — Image by kenne
View of Kitt Peak from Gould Hill Mine Trail In the Tucson Mountains. — Images by kenne
Panther Peak and Sombrero Peak, Saguaro National Park – West in the Tucson Mountains northeast of Tucson, Arizona. —
Desert Chicory, February 14, 2014 — Image by kenne
Hear Its Silent Sigh (February 10, 2014) — Image by kenne
Blackett’s Ridge, End of the Trail Overlooking Sabino Canyon: ‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky!
Desert Spring Computer Painting by kenne
Desert Path — Image by kenne
Desert Spring II — Image by kenne
Cloud Over The Ridge — Image by kenne
This Agave Stalk Has Grown Over Twelve Feet Since Thanksgiving.
Gate’s Pass Panorama, Tucson Mountains — Image by kenne
Tucson Sunset — Images by kenne
Desert Solitude — Image by kenne
Cholla Forest at the Base of Panther Peak in the Tucson Mountains — Panorama Image by kenne
