Feather and Flowers - BTA

 Lori and I have been doing a few day trips now that most of our activity partners are gone. Boyce Thompson Arboretum has always been a favourite place of ours and we have always got annual memberships when we arrive.  2 visits and the membership pays for itself and we have been there 6 or 7 times this year with at least one more visit planned before we leave.  

BTA is always a good place to see many different varieties of birds and this time of year the plants, especially the cactus, are starting to bloom.  

Cactus are so hard and prickly but their flowers are so soft and colourful

We have hung a number of prints of my pictures in our park model this year but Lori says we have room for one more.  Not sure what we do next year as the wall space is getting pretty full.  

We have decided on the scene below however can't quite agree on which of the 2 compositions we like best.  If anyone wants to weigh in to help us decide leave a comment whether your choice would be #1 or #2.   

#1

#2

Pretty little caterpillar.

These little lizards are everywhere and most of the winter they are only 1-2 inches long.  They seem to be growing.  5-6 inches is not uncommon now.

Tried to get some pictures of the red cardinals however they can be quite elusive.  What we commonly refer to as black cardinals however were sitting pretty for me and I got some good shots.  Their actual name is phainopepla.  That's why we call them black cardinals.  

Here is a female

Here is a male.  Love the eyes.  

Arizona Chipmunk.  Colouring is a little different than at home but otherwise pretty similar.  

Root system of a tipped over eucalyptus.  Not sure how long its been here but it creates a dramatic backdrop.  Next time I'll have Lori stand in front to get some scale.  

A cactus creates a wonderful home.  In some cases a cactus can have a number of holes up and down its main trunk creating, in effect, a high rise condo.  

Now that's a big flower. 

Butterflies are everywhere but hard to find in the viewfinder and focus before they are off to pollinate another flower.  

I've got more but that's it for today.