A butterfly I’ve never seen before — a queen — atop one of my all-time favorite wildflowers, spike verbena.
Prickly Pear Twins
It’s been an odd year. OK, I know that’s an incredible understatement, in so many ways, but Mother Nature has gotten into the act here in central New Mexico too. The yuccas didn’t bloom hardly at all (although they were amazing last year). The prickly pears also looked as if they wouldn’t bloom, or even bud — but then, they did bud, much later than usual. I don’t know whether it was because it was so late, or for some other reason, but most of the buds never really opened. These two were exceptions. I love their orange centers.
Wild Calypso Orchid, 2020
There are years I see none of these orchids. That doesn’t mean they haven’t been there — they are so tiny and close to the ground, and grow only in the shadiest areas, that it’s incredibly easy to miss them. Despite that, I’ve noticed more this year than I’ve ever seen before. They seem to grow exclusively above 10,000 feet (at least in the Sandias) in areas where the ground is spongy and mulchy. It is probably only because I’ve figured out what the ground feels like where they live that I’ve seen so many: I feel the change in the ground first, then start looking for them. They are quite charming, I must say.
Early Monsoon Season
Seems as if summer’s come earlier to the Sandias than I can remember. Last year, on May 31, I slid down a huge snowdrift not far from this spot; this year the aspens are already leafed out and it looks as if monsoon season’s blowing in close to a month earlier than usual.
If you think you’ve seen this view before, you have — it’s one of my favorites.
