Desert Flora and Fauna

Greetings from the sunny West.  It is another beautiful day in the neighborhood.  I just got back from a walk around the block.  The grounds crew is out mowing, trimming and cleaning up.  They do a great job (and I don't have too!).

I thought I would share today some photos of the local plants and animals we have seen so far.

On the way to the Hoover Dam is a little park in Boulder City called Hemenway Valley Park.  The Big Horn Sheep come down out of the mountains in the hot summer months to graze and hang out in the shade. We saw about 25 the day we were there. Pretty amazing.

There are lots of animals in Summerlin, too.

This little guy is a desert cottontail. He hangs out in back of our house.  Actually there are many of them that come out in the neighborhood every evening.  There is a canyon across the street from our house behind the neighbors.  We haven't been down into it yet but we have heard there are tortoise, snakes, rabbits and turkey vultures in the area. Take a walking stick with you! There actually is a beautiful well lit walking path through the canyon. We'll get down there as soon as the temperature drops a little bit and my ankle heals.

Cottonwood Canyon

There are a lot of birds in the area as well.  We saw a road runner up in Red Rock Canyon but he moved too fast for a photo op.  Maybe next time.

A few of these birds I haven't identified yet but I wanted to get them up for you to see.  There are a lot of Humming Birds in the area.  It's hard to get a good shot of them without scaring them away. But I'll keep trying.

I think this is a female Blacked-chinned Hummingbird.

American Robin - I'm pretty sure!

I went out and bought three Hibiscus plants the other day. This is the only one currently blooming. Every plant in my back yard has it's own drip and right now gets watered for 20 minutes three days a week.  (I sometimes bring my dish-washing water from the sink and give them a little extra.)

There are several Lantana bushes in the yard (and all over Las Vegas). Very pretty. Their leaves have a lemony smell.

Lantana

If you drive a mile or two past Red Rock Canyon you might just see a few wild burros.  There is a $500 fine if you are caught feeding them! The road was fenced to help prevent accidents.

Here are a couple of shots of the not so wild life!!

Tough life!

I think Taigo has no backbone!

We will have some visitors from Vermont next week.  Can't wait to show them around the area.

That's all for today.

It's all about the journey.

Nancy and Dan