When the puppies go out for a walk, they have to have their little paws on some pretty hot surfaces here in the desert when it’s summertime. In order to allow them to ‘cool their heels,’ Verna got them a kiddie wading pool and filled it with water. They both happily jump into the water and splash around a bit before wanting to get out and go back into the house. Click on the image to enlarge.
I went out back this afternoon with the camera to try and get a shot of a road runner that I saw up on the hill behind the RV drive. By the time I got my camera and came back out, the road runner had retreated to a place where I couldn’t get a decent picture of it. However, this cooperative hummingbird came and perched on one of the feeders. Click on the image to enlarge.
Among the main reasons I wanted the Red Bird of Paradise shrubs in the courtyard was to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. I am not disappointed since both species frequently browse the flowers of not only the red birds, but the sage flowers as well, when they are present. With second spring coming, the sages should also have more flowers to attract the critters.
In addition to the hummers and butterflies, this year we began noticing Sphinx Moths, sometimes called “Hummingbird Moths” browsing both the red birds and the rosemary bushes out back. Interesting little critters, they are about ⅓ the size of hummers but act quite the same.
I photographed this encounter with a very pretty black butterfly about to descend upon one of the clusters of flowers on the red bird closest to the middle of the courtyard. Click on the image to enlarge.
Bob and I were in the courtyard a couple of days ago trimming up some of the shrubs there. Our Cleveland Sage bushes had their usual spring flowers and by the end of July, the flowers had mostly dried up with the protruding flower stalks remaining. We also trimmed the Cimarron Sages along the driveway where they were encroaching the driving space.
I stood on the driveway and took this photo of the courtyard entrance with the gate open. It stays closed most of the time, so it is somewhat unusual to see it open. Click on the image to enlarge.
I hiked up on the hill behind the house to look at some damage caused a couple of weeks ago by a severe thunderstorm that came through the area. There were some broken limbs and two toppled palo verde trees. There were also some uprooted cholla cacti. Luckily, none of our favorite cacti were damaged. I took a photo of the lone compass cactus on the hill with its crown of flower buds, one of which is open. Click on the image to enlarge.
It seems that after a sizable rainfall, we get a lot of these little bluish purple flowers on the Cimarron sage bushes. I took this image on Thursday evening as we were out walking the dogs.
When the flowers drop off in a few days, we will take the trimmer to these bushes in that they are encroaching the driveway. Click on the image to enlarge.
