Verna and Bob's Weblog

Photography

Late-Season Saguaro Flowers

One of our saguaros seems to be getting new flower buds. For as long as this cactus has been blooming, the flowers have come and gone by July. Now, there are new buds as you can see in the photo below.

Here’s a closer view of the open flower:

I asked Grok “What is the normal time of year for saguaro flowers to bloom?” The answer came back as I expected it might:

Late April through mid-June, with peak bloom typically in late May to early June.

In the Sonoran Desert (including areas around Saguaro National Park and much of southern and central Arizona), saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) flowering generally starts in the last two weeks of April. Peak flowering is usually during the last week of May through the first week of June, and blooms can continue into mid-June.

Timing is triggered by lengthening days and rising temperatures and can vary a bit by year, location, elevation, and weather. Individual flowers open at night and last less than 24 hours (remaining open into the following day).

Fruit typically ripens later (late June into early July), timed ahead of the summer monsoon rains.

So, it is quite unusual for these flowers to be opening on this one cactus. Click on either image to view enlarged.

UPDATE: August 3, 2026 – What appears to be the last of the Saguaro flowers opened this morning:

July 27, 2026 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography 0

Backyard Critters

Each morning I get up and take Tucker out for a walk in the vicinity of our house. After he does his thing and goes back inside, I usually go back out with one of my cameras to opportunely catch some of the wildlife in the area on digital. This week, I took these photos below of some quail chick juveniles, a cactus wren in the ocotillo and an antelope squirrel getting one of the several peanuts I toss out to them.

Photos below:

We know that we already post a lot of photos of the critters, but we never get tired of seeing the wildlife around our little paradise as they flourish around us.

Click on any image to enlarge.

July 23, 2026 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography 0

Summer Quail

First day of summer – 06-21-2026 – Wickenburg, AZ.

I snapped this photo this morning in the little wash behind our lot. These are Gambel’s quail, a female adult and three juveniles running across the open area back there.

Taken with a Canon EOS R10 camera with a 55-210mm lens.

Gemini AI:

The birds captured in the photo are a family of Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii), a signature desert species native to the American Southwest.

Breakdown of the Group

  • The Adult (Left): This is an adult female Gambel’s Quail. She features the characteristic blue-gray plumage, chestnut-and-white streaked flanks, and a prominent, dark, comma-shaped head plume (topknot). She lacks the stark black face mask and black belly patch of the adult male.
  • The Chicks / Juveniles (Center and Right): These are older, semi-mature chicks (often called juveniles). By June, earlier spring hatches have grown quite large but retain their mottled, buffy-brown camouflage plumage. If you look closely at their heads, you can see their small, spiked topknots just beginning to develop.

Behavior in the Desert

Gambel’s Quail are famously ground-dwelling birds that prefer running over flying. They form tightly knit family groups during the summer breeding season. At this stage, the chicks are highly active, foraging alongside the adult for seeds, vegetation, and insects under the desert brush.

June 21, 2026 by Critters Photography

Juvenile Male Cardinal

I asked SuperGrok to identify this bird:

This is a juvenile (first-year) Northern Cardinal, likely a young male.

  • Age: The bill is dark/grayish, which is a key juvenile trait. Adults have bright orange-red bills. Juveniles also tend to have slightly looser plumage and less intense colors overall.
  • Sex: Young males often show more red in the crest, wings, and tail than females at this stage, and they’re starting to develop the warmer reddish tones seen here. Females stay browner longer. The amount of red on the crest and body in your shots points toward male.

These birds molt into more adult-like plumage over their first fall/winter, so this one is probably in that transitional “formative” stage right now in mid-June. Cardinals at the feeder are always a treat in our Arizona garden!

If we spot this bird after the first of next year, he will probably look like his Dad (below), seen “hiding” in the nearby mesquite tree out back. Click on either image to enlarge.

June 20, 2026 by Arizona Critters Photography

White Tailed Antelope Squirrel

I took the above shot this morning when this little guy came out to beg for a peanut. Here’s what the SuperGrok Lite AI had to say about him:

That’s a great close-up shot of a White-tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus) in your Wickenburg backyard! These are classic Sonoran Desert residents, and your high-desert location (around 2,100–2,500 ft) is perfect habitat for them.

Key Identification Features (matching your photo):

  • Size & Build: Small, about 7–8 inches long (head to tail tip), weighing around 3–4 ounces. They have longer legs than many other ground squirrels, giving them a nimble, jerky running style.
  • Coloration: Grayish-brown or buff back with fine grizzling, white or cream underparts, and a distinctive white stripe on each side from shoulder toward the tail. The most diagnostic trait is the pure white underside of the tail, which they often flip up and curve over their back while running — creating a flashing “antelope-like” signal.
  • Face & Eyes: Large dark eyes, small rounded ears, and a somewhat pointed snout. They look a bit like chipmunks but lack the bold head stripes of true chipmunks.

Your photo nicely captures the grizzled fur texture, alert posture, and those strong claws for digging.

Photo details:

  • Camera: Canon EOS R10
  • Exposure: 1/400sec
  • Aperture: F7
  • ISO: 250
  • Focal Length: 210mm
  • Lens: Canon RF-S55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM
  • Copyright: (C) 2026 VBI All Rights Reserved

Click on the image to enlarge.

June 15, 2026 by Arizona Critters Photography

Palo Verdes in Bloom

Image: Close up of a Palo Verde flower – Camera: Canon EOS R10 Lens: Canon RF16mm F2.8 STM

Our Palo Verde trees are all in bloom again for the third time this spring. This is not unusual according to literature on this species of tree (Parkinsonia microphylla). There are two trees out front and one on the west side of the property – all are having open flowers.

This Palo Verde blossom is a perfect example of why these trees are so beloved in the Sonoran Desert. The vibrant yellow petals with that beautiful red-orange speckling in the center (around the stamens) is classic for the genus Parkinsonia.

For the above image – Camera: Canon EOS R10 Lens: Canon RF16mm F2.8 STM for which Grok proclaims the following:

Why this lens nailed the shot:

  • Close focusing distance: The RF 16mm STM focuses down to about 13 cm (5.1 inches), letting you get right in tight on the flower for that macro-style detail on the crinkled yellow petals and red speckles.
  • Wide field of view: Even at close range, you get nice context with the stem and blurred background bokeh, which works great for desert flower photography.
  • Lightweight & stabilized: Perfect for handheld work in the garden, especially with any breeze moving the blossoms.

The R10’s subject detection and Servo AF probably helped lock onto the flower center nicely. The color rendition and contrast look spot-on too—those yellows really pop against the blue sky hints in the background.

Click on the image to enlarge.

June 14, 2026 by Arizona Climate Flowers Home & Garden Photography

Avalon 1998

Categories

Archives