Now oasis butterfly

Not a good photo, and I didn't try hard enough because I thought it was just another Painted Lady, but Brian says it's a West Coast Lady. I saw one once before about 3 miles south of the oasis, but never here.

I was really surprised to find a Bluebonnet blooming in my courtyard. Not sure which species it is, probably Lupinus texensis. Otherwise, Lupinus havardii.

I have both Common and Tropical Buckeyes at CMO, and occasionally a hybrid of the two like this one (per Brian).

 Everything is blooming. Here's a Rigid Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja rigida).

The Woolly Paintbrush is blooming too but I didn't photograph it. I have so many photos of it already. I think this next bloom is Abert's Wild Buckwheat (Eriogonum abertianum), but I confess with everything, and then some, blooming, I'm having trouble keeping up.

Flax is blooming everywhere too. Just too many flowers to post.

Berlanier's Flax - Linum filifolium

Tending tomatoes

Nothing else going on in my life right now, but tomorrow I'm headed for the oasis. Can't wait.

I uncovered the tomatoes for a little while this afternoon.  This one has 3 or 4 buds getting ready to bloom.

If, or when, they bloom will depend on the weather, of course.

Tomatoes feeling loved and comforted!

They won't get to see daylight until Monday. Then it'll be time to cage them. I might give them a little Miracle-Gro too.

Last cold snap coming

It won't affect anything except the tomatoes. We'll have to cover them tomorrow afternoon. They're happy now though.

Then when the danger of frost is over next week, we can cage them.

I just sat at the computer all day working on the Power Point presentation I'm going to do at the festival in August. It's titled "Living with Lucifers." My favorite subject. I'm actually looking forward to it even though I'm a terrible public speaker.

A week from today Hugh is planning on going to the oasis and do work with his loader. And I've got help lined up. Hope it all works out.

Trying to keep up

Kept on moving today and I can't move anymore. I'm all moved out! LOL But I've lost 5 lbs since I started my diet with no ill effects. Only 15 more to go, but I know that last 5 or so will be impossible. I've tried to lose it before.

Finally made it down to the huge verbena patch above the lower dam. Was on my way to town and just refused to drive past it again.If I had stayed awhile I might have seen some interesting butterflies.

The verbena and phacelia are all along the arroyo from the dam to the oasis. Here's my first butterfly picture on phacelia.

Arizona Powdered-Skipper on  Blue-curls (Phacelia congesta) 

Orange Skipperling

Through the years I've documented six hues of globemallow at the oasis and at our place in town. Here's a lovely rose-colored one from the oasis, which is nice to see after all the orange and lavender ones I tolerate. Only because I don't have the energy to remove them from along the walkways. I'm terrified someone will get snakebitten. I'm really going to try hard to get some mowed.

Copper Globemallow (Sphaeralcea angustifolia)

A respite of sorts

Slept in a bit, but felt fine eventually. Couldn't clean in the tank because it rained in the night and put puddles of water in it. But I had anticipated that might happen so yesterday I cleaned the areas that usually need patching. Now I have to wait for it to dry out again. And just when I had some help lined up too! But it's not a big deal in the scheme of things.

After I patched for a while I got the urge to go photograph an Anna's Hummingbird that's nesting in Big Bend National Park. I hated to go all that way, like 3 hrs of driving, just to snap a photo of a species I see a lot of at the oasis. But this is a first nesting record for Brewster County and I couldn't resist. Glad I went. Seeing other people's photos is not like seeing it in person.

I only hung around five minutes or so because it kept leaving the nest and then going back, over and over. I've never seen an Anna's on a nest before, but I know Black-chinneds and Lucifers don't act that way. It's hard to imagine my presence bothered it when it's nesting directly above a picnic table that I'm sure gets used every day. And I stayed well back from the table. Didn't want a photo of just the bottom of the nest anyway. The campground was full to capacity and people were camping at that spot. I'm more inclined to think it's a first time nester and unsure of itself. And unsure which state it's supposed to nest in too, I guess. They normally nest in California. There are nesting records in Arizona and north of California too. And two records for Texas; one in El Paso (2000) and one in Jeff Davis County (1976). 

This morning an award-winning filmmaker, directing a crew for a documentary on Big Bend, visited. This summer they're filming birds and wildlife in the Big Bend and plan to get Lucifer footage, hopefully displaying, to include in the PBS special. That will be fun! He showed me some of their work and it's beyond impressive.

Getting quality display footage will be a huge challenge. I doubt it will happen, but I hope it does.

Voluntary slavery

I was determined to start cleaning out the stucco tank. Managed to kill myself trying. Hopefully, I'll be able to find some help but for now I have enough cleaned to where I can do some patching tomorrow. Contingent on being able to get out of bed tomorrow.

Butterflies like the dabs of mud left in the tank.

Black Swallowtail

 Tropical Buckeye (male)

I was delighted to find a bloom on my Common Mallow (malva neglecta) that I posted several days ago (March 23).  I would have been really disappointed to totally miss it blooming. Just one bloom but I'm satisfied.

I also saw a flower today at the oasis, while watering, that I identified tentatively as Southern Chervil (Chaerophyllum tainturieri).  Online experts confirmed. It was almost dark when I found it, so hope to get a better photo tomorrow. Assuming I can get out of bed. LOL

Loving Lucifers

This time of year I can't stand to sit in town when the oasis beckons, so am headed south in the morning. Have to get my pickup's front end aligned this afternoon. Lot of birders visiting these days too. Here are a couple of interesting shots taken by Brian Slaughter last week. To me they tell a bit of a story.

I'd say the female came to the feeders to feed and the male had other ideas. She's probably on a nest, or gravid (with eggs), and in no mood for his advances. You can see how the bush is far enough behind him to be blurry.

In this next frame you can see she has him backed into the bush and isn't through with him yet.

What's not to love!

Winter's legacy

It seems I gain weight every winter and don't lose it all in the summer. Every year I get older and slower, so lose less of the winter gain. Now I'm 20 lbs heavier than I feel I should be. I've just got to lose that weight or I have no hope of ever going up my mountain again. Like so much in life, it's a vicious cycle. The extra weight makes me less able to exercise as much. I'm going to really try hard to lose though. My knees are especially bad.

It was such a lovely day today here in Alpine that I uncovered the tomatoes for awhile. It's only March so I'll have to cover them up again when it gets windy. They're still not tough enough.

I was surprised to see a Monarch butterfly today. I usually only see them in the fall.

Monarch at Bluebonnets

And this is only the second time I've seen a Black Phoebe at our ponds in Alpine.

Beeblossoms

The oasis has countless species of flowers blooming currently, including two species of beeblossoms. Here is the Rio Grande Beeblossom (Oenothera boquillensis)..

And here is the other species that I've just recently identified, Small-flowered Beeblossom (Oenothera curtiflora)..

Both are in the Evening Primrose family. Here's a new species for me. I found it growing in the  courtyard. Got it ID'd online as Common Mallow (Malva neglecta). I couldn't ID it myself because I didn't see the flowers on it and thought these green things were the flowers, but not so. The flowers are pink. Sorry I missed seeing them.

On Brian's suggestion, I looked closely at my Tree Tobacco plants for caterpillars. Found one. May have missed some. They really blend in well.