tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55381012024-02-19T06:51:28.364-08:00KL's Sonoran Nature JournalA nature journal incorporating back yard birding observations and experiences at Tohono Chul Park, a 49-acre desert oasis in northwest Tucson, Arizona.Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.comBlogger398125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-44793578440340519372020-05-05T15:51:00.002-07:002020-05-05T16:36:08.663-07:00 ANDROCLES AND THE GILA MONSTERIn Greek mythology, Androcles was an escaped slave who made friends with a lion by removing a thorn from the lion's paw. Years later, when the two met in the arena, the lion remembered Androcles' kindness and spared his life.
Last night, I glanced out the front door and saw a Gila monster walking up the front sidewalk, purposefully, as if he were going to an appointment. While I ran for the Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-1510334770147056402020-04-21T12:06:00.002-07:002020-04-21T12:08:45.450-07:00OFFBEAT NATURE NOTES #1: How to tell a Pyrrhuloxia call from a Cardinal callThose lucky enough to live in the southwestern United States often encounter not only the beautiful northern cardinal, but also the similar-looking pyrrhuloxia, a close cousin of the cardinal that is often found in desert environs.
&Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-32589421542183383092018-05-19T14:20:00.000-07:002018-05-19T14:20:57.533-07:00FAREWELL TO A KINGSNAKEI
first met Leo in October, 2009, when I was studying
to be a docent at Tohono Chul Park. One of our lessons involved
getting to know snakes and becoming comfortable with them. I had
always found snakes fascinating, but had never known any up close and
personal until the day we were invited to handle Leo, a beautiful
common kingsnake. For me, it was love
at first touch.
KL and Leo meet for the Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-51267133055456551482017-09-03T08:49:00.002-07:002017-09-03T18:25:31.678-07:00The Doves of Our LivesWhite-winged dove season is finally over. There are only a handful of these beautiful birds remaining, and soon they will be gone too, back to Mexico, where they spend the winter. It is always a sad time for me, because I can't know for certain that I will be here to greet them when they return next spring.
Below is a collage I made to celebrate my love affair with doves over the last few years.Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-29646233707491145512017-08-22T10:02:00.002-07:002017-08-22T10:02:56.593-07:00St. Francis and the Lizards
We have now lived in our "new" house nearly three years. The yard came with a small statue of St. Francis. Though we are not Christians, I love the idea of a saint who loved animals watching over the critters who come to visit. From our first days here, there has been one or another Spiny Desert lizard that likes to perch on Francis' head. Here are some of my favorites.
Cedric, a fairly Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-6427577464340271542017-03-13T09:38:00.000-07:002017-03-13T09:38:39.612-07:00How is a Snake Like Ginger Rogers?
It was said of the actress/dancer Ginger Rogers that she could do everything her partner, Fred Astaire, could do--but she did it backwards and in high heels.
It’s sort of the same way with snakes.
Looking at these amazing creatures, you can’t help but notice how different a snake's outer (superficial) body plan is compared to the four- and two-legged creatures we are most familiar Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-11084389293611799632016-09-04T15:18:00.000-07:002016-09-04T15:18:32.957-07:00As the Dove Turns....A Tale of Obsession and Devotion in the Desert Friends on social media know that for the last several weeks I've been obsessed with a particular white-winged dove that nests on my private patio above my sliding door. White-winged doves are among my favorite birds for many reasons I have detailed in an earlier post. This particular bird drew my interest more than three weeks ago when nearly all the other neighborhood white-wings returnedKathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-73399857882985870682016-08-04T05:19:00.002-07:002016-08-04T05:19:40.561-07:00Ant Orgy!
The monsoon, which has been hit-or-miss so far this year, was very active the last several days, culminating in choking humidity this morning before dawn. I thought I saw rain falling, and briefly opened the sliding door, but smelled no moisture. When it began to get light, I saw that something indeed was falling: thousands of small insects!
I have seen these creatures before. Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-45792729813969678102016-07-19T11:21:00.001-07:002016-07-19T11:21:49.609-07:00July Bird Count at Tohono Chul Park
For the last few years I’ve been privileged to take part in official Audubon-sponsored bird counts at Tohono Chul Park. The purpose of the annual Tucson Bird Count (TBC), which takes place each spring, is to document what birds occur on each of over 800 points throughout the Tucson Valley and Saguaro National Parks East and West. Additional, quarterly counts take place in several good birding Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-67783347486889416602016-03-19T13:37:00.002-07:002016-03-19T13:37:25.723-07:00Springtime Changes at Tohono Chul
This post is for the many friends I've known at Tohono Chul, especially those who have not seen the changes that began in the last two or three years, including a new designation as Tohono Chul Bistro, Galleries, and Gardens. This post is also for anyone who loves the Sonoran Desert in the springtime. (For some typical flowers, click here.) Spring has started three or four weeks early this Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-41396168159213521572016-01-20T08:52:00.001-08:002016-01-20T08:53:35.240-08:00Life and Death of a SaguaroFor eleven years, my husband and I lived in a sprawling brick house on an acre of beautiful desert in the Catalina Foothills of Tucson, Arizona. Many of my blog posts here have been about things I observed and studied from my office, back porch, and front porch. One of my favorite views, from the back of the house, was of a beautiful large saguaro that was probably 150 - 200 years old (they can Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-74163783443318576452015-10-12T05:42:00.000-07:002015-10-12T05:42:09.138-07:00Reptile Ramble--Close up and PersonalI have written here many times about Reptile Ramble, the educational show we present at Tohono Chul Park in the warm weather. The program is helmed by two professional scientists who are assisted by two or three docents each week, and sometimes I'm lucky enough to be one of the docents.
The aim of the Ramble is to demystify snakes for our audience, and demonstrate why no one ever need fear them.Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-1813104367235115732015-07-25T14:05:00.001-07:002015-07-25T14:05:22.578-07:00Amazing Lesser Nighthawk MotherLesser nighthawks, which are very common in the Tucson area this time of year, are often seen soaring over the desert in the evening. During the day, they can occasionally be found roosting or nesting on the desert floor. Yes. Nesting. On the bare ground, often with no more shade than a creosote bush.
As this photo shows, they are very well camouflaged, and that apparently serves them Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-28159606602837945972015-07-08T16:30:00.000-07:002015-07-08T16:30:33.344-07:00White-winged babies everywhere!Anyone who knows me or has followed this blog for any length of time knows that I LOVE LOVE LOVE white-winged doves. In our new house, there are several white-winged nests in various locations, and I've been seeing fledglings everywhere. Here are photos of three of the latest white-wingeds to grace the world. They are very unassuming and kind of geeky-looking, but so shy and sweet. Click here forKathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-73318481859685643702015-06-23T15:21:00.001-07:002015-06-23T15:21:10.747-07:00Late Spring, Early Summer Beauty at Tohono Chul Park
We have gone from a relatively cool spring to a suddenly and ferociously hot summer, with the Monsoon fast approaching. Before it gets here, I want to share some of the beautiful things I've seen in the Park in the last few weeks:
You may have to look carefully to see the mama hummer sitting on this nest, which is directly on top of another nest in which someone--probably the same bird-Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-69027211648205826612015-06-23T11:46:00.000-07:002015-06-23T11:46:31.270-07:00Fierce Ground Squirrel Attacks, Kills, and Eats Longnose Snake!This morning at Tohono Chul Park, some other docents and I watched a round-tailed ground squirrel attack, kill, and start to eat a longnose snake. All of us were flabbergasted; we think of these little rodents as extremely cute, harmless creatures whose only encounters with snakes occur when snakes go into their burrows and eat their young. It turns out the story is way more complicated, and as IKathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-29954344383996881622015-05-28T06:18:00.001-07:002015-05-28T06:18:39.319-07:00Tale of a Lost TailThe Desert Spiny lizard (Sceloporus magister), is among the most prominent creatures greeting visitors at Tohono Chul Park in the warm weather. Big, bold and beautiful, with striking colors and eye-catching behavior (these lizards, especially the males, frequently do pushups to advertise their fitness and attract mates), spinies say "Sonoran Desert" as surely as does the saguaro.
Like Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-68768793045858385872015-05-10T08:16:00.000-07:002015-05-10T08:16:38.937-07:00Late Spring Nature QuizThis is our first nature quiz in quite a while. Here are five photos of plants and animals that are found in the Arizona Upland portion of the Sonoran Desert. Can you identify them? (Note that all photos were taken at Tohono Chul Park.)
1. This extremely fragrant plant is attractive to bees, butterflies, and human noses. What is its common name?
a) Kidneywood
b) Bladderwort
c) Spleen sticks
dKathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-60913421404514622182015-04-29T15:32:00.000-07:002015-04-29T15:32:03.626-07:00Snake sex!You've probably seen a photo or video of two snakes standing on their tails, intertwined, swaying back and forth, and may have thought this was a picture of snakes copulating. Nothing could be farther from the truth--when two snakes engage in this sort of "dance," as it is called, they are most likely males engaged in ritual combat.
Oregon rattlesnakes, via Wikipedia
The snakes IKathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-27202952635525603542015-04-24T13:45:00.000-07:002015-04-24T13:45:38.546-07:00Do Hawks Fly for Fun?
On a beautiful spring day early this week my docent buddies and I were roving at Tohono Chul Park, enjoying the weather and the beauty all around us. Our resident pair of Cooper’s hawks seemed to be roving too--soaring from one end of the Park to the other, sometimes seeming to chase each other, sometimes simply moving in the brilliant blue sky in perfect synchrony. One of my friends, a retired Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-24359785547395621772015-04-20T16:34:00.000-07:002015-04-20T16:34:31.621-07:00Cactus Color WheelApril is a great month in the Sonoran Desert because wildflowers and trees are still blooming and the cactus have begun to chime in with their gorgeous, waxy flowers. The flowers pictured here are mostly from the staghorn cholla, Cylindropuntia versicolor. "Versicolor" refers to the fact that each plant has a different color flower. Most are in various shades of red, orange, and pink. The last Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-36764494597571178472015-04-04T10:53:00.000-07:002015-04-04T10:53:37.446-07:00Palo Verde GloryThis is the best time of year in the Sonoran Desert: Spring, lasting from sometime in February to usually the end of April or even into May. We looked at some wildflowers in the previous post, and I'll post pictures of cactus blooms soon, but today I want to highlight the amazing and startling palo verde blossoming, which has just begun and will last another couple of weeks.
Everywhere you Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-81908998336501902362015-03-25T16:21:00.000-07:002015-03-25T16:21:44.642-07:00Sonoran Spring Beauty
This time of year is breathtaking throughout the Tucson area. Hiking in a desert canyon can be like stepping into a medieval millefleurs tapestry. Our yards and medians have erupted in color. Courting and nesting birds are everywhere, as are butterflies of all sizes. Please join me for a brief walk in Tohono Chul Park for a small taste of what I see every day.
One of the new entry pathsKathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-72825690058381690642014-09-21T08:37:00.001-07:002014-09-21T08:37:20.386-07:00Kingsnake Attacks and Eats RattlesnakeSnakes that eat other snakes are often called “kings;” for example, the King Cobra. The most common, widespread North American snake with this feeding habit is the beautiful common kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula. Readers of this blog know that the kingsnake is my favorite snake. Common kingsnake Like all snakes, kingsnakes have several anatomical features that allow them to eat prey that is Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5538101.post-60551075909111922692014-07-26T11:16:00.001-07:002014-07-26T11:21:52.157-07:00Tortoise Eating TunaAnother hot, humid, and beautiful day at Tohono Chul Park.
This is a desert tortoise:
These are the fruit of prickly pears. Around here they are called TUNAS. Most birds and animals love them:
This video shows a desert tortoise eating a tuna. YUM!
Technorati Tags: Desert Tortoise,Tohono Chul Park,Prickly Pear Fruit
Kathryn (KL) Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01801435890997786332noreply@blogger.com2