Desert life - Desert Museum and Sonoran National Park

The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum



There were all of the different desert animals that are rarely seen.
We went early so the bobcat and many others were still awake.





The Javelina can be very aggresive so if you encounter
one of them in the wild STAY AWY!



You may assume that cacti are very fleshy
and when dead would just turn to "mush" but that
is indeed incorrect.  As this picture shows, they have a very woody "skeletol structure."



Arizona is very rich in it's vast array of minerals.



They were spectacular in their cases on display.



The children even got an opportunity to gather some of their own.

And they even got to go splunking a bit.

There was a wonderful hummingbird aviary.
 It was so interesting to see those little fellows in the different brilliant colors.
There were at least a hundred of them flying about.

The lizzards were the big hit at the museum.



John was not too keen on having his picture taked with this
 pipe organ cactus especially after his first run-in its relative.




The funny top on this cactus is genetic.



Just down the road from the Desert Museum is the Saguaro National Park.
These cacti are only naturally found in the Sonoran Desert.
It is truly an amazing site seeing miles and mountains full of these regal specimens 

Of course, visiting another national park can only mean on thing:
MORE JUNIOR RANGER BOOKS!!!!!

After all of the beautiful weather we have been fortunate to have so far,
while we were there an intense thunderstorm rolled in and soaked the desert.
Watching it approach with it's fierce lightining and swirling dust was most unusual and
we considered ourselves very fortunate to witness it.
After the rain, the smells of the different plants bloom forth in unusual odors.
The creosote bush fills the air with its smokey fragrance.

Four more junior rangers being sworn it.

This region is so unique in all of it's plant, animal and landscape.  I hope to return again.
If you every have the chance to come this way, you, too, will be equally impressed by it.