Seeing Nature Differently

I have travelled to the Sonoran Desert around Tucson, Arizona about fifteen times in the last decade or so.
Over the course of these trips the way I see the desert has evolved. Each time I’m there I become a little more comfortable, and each time I notice things that were invisible to me before. It’s hard for me to reconcile myself with the truth, when I first started hiking and photographing in the Sonoran Desert I really had no idea what I was looking at. On each subsequent trip my experience was changed by the prior visit and my current explorations were changing the way I would interact in the desert on my next trip.
I guess that’s how life really works; we build on everything we knew before today with our current experience and again tomorrow and so forth. Maybe this shouldn’t be a revelation at fifty years old, but at least my acceptance of it as reality is new to me even if the fact of it isn’t. In retrospect I know I have been this way since I was a kid, searching, learning, applying that experience and searching some more. That’s just part of who I am and have always been even if I didn’t know it.
The way I look at this today will help me to continue to grow as a photographer and a naturalist. The way I approach a new situation today is by starting with as much research as I can gather, then trying to be aware of the world around me and taking note of things I’d found in my research. I believe this gives me a much better point from which to start building experience.
I guess the truth is I’m blessed to have the chance to visit these places and gain these experiences at all, and as long as I continue to know I’ve got a lot to learn, I will.

A Rainy Day in the Desert

The Sonoran Desert outside of Tucson takes on a magical feel in the soft spring rain. Completely unexpected, but beautiful. All the harshness seems softened by the muted light and the veil of moisture in the air. The desert never looks greener than this.

More accurately it’s just a rainy morning, by noon the rain has stopped, but it’s still overcast. As I walk between cactus and cholla, I have to remember that although things look softer, they are still not friendly to the touch.

Another rainy day surprise is the smell of the desert after the rain. Creosote bushes give the air a sweet, musky smell that I love. Probably not the same after a monsoon storm, but in the softer winter and spring rain it’s very pleasant.

Mornings like this are a reminder to me of some of the reasons I want to live in the desert . . .

Spring in the Sonoran Desert

Spring comes early to the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona. It is usually late February to the beginning of March when wildflowers start their show.
Starting the show are Mexican Gold Poppies which abound in the hills near Tucson. The bright yellow gold is a stark contrast to the greens and browns of the desert. The deep purple blue of the Arroyo Lupine is another sign of the coming of spring.
If there was enough rain during December and January you can really be in for a treat. March brings life to the Palo Verde tree and Ocotillo’s crimson tips come into play.
In the lowlands the purple Sand Verbena and white Evening Primrose and upland the orange of Desert Mariposa begin showing.
I could go on as new plants show off for us to see, right up to the Saguaro Cactus in May.
Many people think of deserts only as hot, arid, sandy wastelands. Some are, but consider the Sonoran Desert. It is the wettest of our great southwestern deserts and also supports the most life.
Visit the Tucson area in springtime and you’ll never think of deserts the same way again.