#SonoranDesert

#cactus #gardening #garden #sonorandesert

3 days ago

Peruvian apple cactus - Cereus peruvianus

This isabout 4 months of growth. It was not even this big when I got it as a cutting 6 years ago. Now it is the biggest cactus in my garden.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #nature #cactus #saguaro #succulent #agave #seedpod #wildflower #Summer #insect #cicada #bird #birds #birding #coyote

3 days ago

Happy June! Here’s the first art I created for my Tucson Yard Journal series: June, which is hot & dry but we still see lots of bird, mammal, plant & insect activity.

Tucson Yard Journal ~ June (watercolor and pen art) featuring plants, birds, animals & insects seen in my yard in Tucson, Arizona, USA in the month of June.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #ecosystem #nature #wildflower #Summer #insect #color #birds

4 days ago

A couple of years ago I created an art series in which I painted 1 color/day of something from nature I saw in/from my yard including trees, wildflowers, cacti, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, skies & clouds. Here’s my Tucson Color Journal for June.

Tucson Color Journal for June - watercolor art with 30 squares of color representing the colors of nature I saw in/from my yard in Tucson, AZ, USA in June including trees, wildflowers, cacti, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, skies & clouds.

#cactus #gardening #garden #sonorandesert

Organ Pipe Cactus (Stenocereus thurberi)

Native plant, grown from seed.

On a scale of 1 to 10 in regards to horror of transplanting, I give it a 3 at this size. 20 if it should ever get a chance to out grow the pot beside it.

Emergence Magazine

“The saguaro can be understood as free of the earth, like human beings…” — Jane H. Hill and Ofelia Zepeda

View “Saguaro,” by Bear Guerra.
https://emergencemagazine.org/gallery/saguaro/
#ShiftingLandscapes #Cacti #SonoranDesert #Saguaro

Photograph of a single, tall standing Saguaro cactus with arms reaching upwards, backlit by the sun, and against the outline of a hill.

Photograph of an out-of-focus Saguaro cactus in the foreground with a single hole peeking through, and several standing behind.

https://paulaborchardt.substack.com/p/how-i-create-art-in-series

I love creating art in series so in today’s blog post I go behind-the-scenes of 5 of my art series to show how I create a consistent look-and-feel for each.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Substack #blog #blogging #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #cactus #wildflower #color #bird #hawk #lizard #reptile #GilaMonster #kiwi #NewZealand

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #lizard #reptile #GilaMonster

We saw our first Gila Monster 😍 of the season in our yard last week! They are soooo beautiful (so of course I had to paint it for my Perpetual Journal)!!! 🥰 Yes, they’re venomous, but they don’t attack humans unless really provoked.

Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of a Gila Monster, Tucson, AZ, USA

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #tree #flower #Spring #TreeTuesday

One of our Ironwood trees was blooming recently but is mostly bloomed out by now. I love the pink-lavender color of these flowers and so I painted them for a recent Perpetual Journal entry!

Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of an Ironwood tree in bloom with purple-pink flowers, Tucson, AZ, USA

Emergence Magazine

In the Sonoran Desert, Saguaro have long been treated as family and respected members of the community. Today, this desert keystone species is threatened. Read this week’s newsletter featuring Bear Guerra’s portraits of these rooted beings. https://mailchi.mp/emergencemagazine/portraits-of-saguaro-in-the-sonoran-desert #ShiftingLandscapes #Cacti #SonoranDesert #Saguaro

Photograph of a single, tall standing Saguaro cactus with two arms reaching upwards, one short and one tall, dressed with small blooms at the tips.

Jay

Amaranth coming back from last year. It is my 'go to' summer green, because it handles the extreme heat well. Transplanting some to grow bags.
#Gardening #Arizona #SonoranDesert #Cooking #GrowYourOwn

looking down into a portion of the raised bed with several small green leaves with a purple center. A volunteer young tomato plant to the right. A yellow handled hand shovel to the left.

planting the young amaranth seedlings into black cloth grow bags in dark soil with plenty of white perlite sprinkled throughout.

Emergence Magazine

In this week’s photo essay, photographer Bear Guerra illuminates the enduring personhood and presence of the Saguaro, or Ha:san, long revered by the O’odham peoples of the Sonoran Desert.

View “Saguaro,” by Bear Guerra.
https://emergencemagazine.org/gallery/saguaro/ #ShiftingLandscapes #Cacti #SonoranDesert #Saguaro

Photograph of a large saguaro cactus in the desert hills, with multiple arms outstretched like a pipe organ.

Photograph of the early morning sunrise backlighting an area of multiple cacti, with saguaro silhouetted and standing tall in the foreground and background.

Closeup photograph of a saguaro cactus backlit by the sun with others standing behind in the faded background.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Substack #blog #blogging #Tucson #SonoranDesert #environment #ecology #nature #flower #wildflower #Fall #Autumn #insect #butterfly #bird #birds #birding

I enjoy learning about other artists’ processes so in my latest blog post I included a process video showing how I created my Tucson Yard Journal ~ November (the art I tooted yesterday). https://paulaborchardt.substack.com/p/tucson-yard-journal-november

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #seedpod #flower #wildflower #Fall #Autumn #insect #butterfly #bird #birds #birding #roadrunner #owl

Here’s the 6th in my Tucson Yard Journal series: November, which boasts beautiful weather, continued avian visitors & a few plants still blooming & attracting butterflies.

Tucson Yard Journal ~ November - watercolor, colored pencil & pen art of birds, insects, butterflies, seedpods & an owl pellet, all seen in our yard in Tucson in November.

#cactus #SonoranDesert #gardening #containergardening

Saguaro - Carnegiea gigantea

Who wants to have the fun and rare activity of transplanting my 9-year-old saguaro into another pot?

Hopefully, after this replanting, the next planting will be in the ground.

Lois Bryan

https://lois-bryan.pixels.com/featured/sonoran-sunset-lois-bryan.html

This is a new one from me "Sonoran Sunset" digitally #handpainted in #Rebelle and based on one of my own photos that I took on a visit to #Arizona in 2009. The sky is based on a class I just finished with the amazing #Corel Master, #KarenBonaker. See it and all the products it's available on (from #wallart to #coffeemugs and #puzzles!) at my website:

#HumanMade #NotAi #BuyIntoArt #SonoranDesert #sunsets #art #giftideas #LoisBryan

The breathtaking beauty of an Arizona sunset is famed, far and wide. A quiet walk along the trails of the Sonoran Desert when such a vision is before you, is something you'll never forget.

Along the path we see various kinds of cactus from the iconic Saguaro, to prickly pear, to my artistic interpretation of the jumping Cholla. But it's the glorious colors of the sunset that draw us onward! I must say, when i was in Arizona (where I took the blue-sky morning photo on which this is based) the sunsets were pretty scarce. But we get some doozies here in the Shenandoah Valley, too!! The sunset I painted here is based on a fabulous class I just took with #CorelPainter Master, Karen Bonaker.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Substack #blog #blogging #Tucson #SonoranDesert #insect #lacewing

In my latest blog post I take a slightly tongue-in-cheek look at one of Substack’s new features: Tags. Kidding aside, I think Tags can be very useful & I’m glad Substack has added them as a feature. https://paulaborchardt.substack.com/p/lacewings-tags-and-substack-tags

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #insect #lacewing

Last week we had lots of Green Lacewings on our patio. They’re beneficial insects (meaning, beneficial to humans) as their larvae eat aphids and other garden pests. I love their bright green color—so I painted one for my Perpetual Journal.

Perpetual Journal watercolor, colored pencil and pen art of a Green Lacewing (1 of 25 Green Lacewings chillaxing on our patio ceiling and walls).

Engelmann’s Hedgehog Cactus fruit (E. engelmannii) fruit. This native fruit is edible. Kind of tastes like a sweeter unripe dragon fruit. You have to gather it quickly because it does ripen pretty fast. You know it is ready when you can scrape the needles off. It took about a month from pollination.#cactus #gardening #flowers #SonoranDesert

#cactus #flowers #gardening #GardeningMastodon #sonorandesert

I will have to edit this post later since I can not remember the name of the species at the moment.

Got as cutting from a friend living in Tucson, Arizona while visiting Bio Sphere 2 twenty years ago. It is the only cactus in my yard that pops up in some of the most inconvenient places because of birds eating the fruit and dropping the seeds. Here it is growing under my brittlebush. At least 20 feet from the original plant.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Substack #blog #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #PaloVerde #flower #wildflower #Spring #yellow

In my latest blog post I shared my art of, & some natural history about, the beautiful Palo Verde trees that are blooming in Tucson right now. https://paulaborchardt.substack.com/p/palo-verde-buds-and-blooms

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #PaloVerde #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #flower #wildflower #Spring #yellow

Since the Foothills Palo Verde trees are at the peak of their bloom now in Tucson, I see yellow in every direction I look—so I painted one for my latest Perpetual Journal entry.

Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of a Palo Verde tree in bloom in Tucson, AZ, USA.

#snake #snakes #gecko #herpetology #NoRunOverSnek #SnekCrossing #SonoranDesert

Tonight's #BikeHerping haul: Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus leconteia), a dead Sonoran Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer affinis), dead Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei), and a bunch of adorbs baby geckos (presumably Coloenyx variegatus).

I recognized the gopher snake and the geckos, but the sand snake and long-nose snake are new species for me. I ID'd them from photos online, so corrections welcome.

A snake on gravelly soil with black and red patterns on its back.

A small round snake on pavement at night. It has alternating black and yellow-orange rings. Just behind it's small head is a bloody spot from being run over and killed by a car.

A medium-large gopher snake lying dead alongside the road after being hit by a car. It has brown and cream colored geometric patterns down its back. There is a blood stain on the ground where it bled out. Its mouth is open. Poor snake.

A tiny pink lizard with slightly darker bands down the length of its body. It has pale pink legs and feet and an oversize head with greenish eye brows. It is sitting on pavement.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #flower #wildflower #Spring

It’s always exciting (at least I think so! 😁) to see a new wildflower in your yard. For a recent Perpetual Journal entry I painted a Coulter Hibiscus (new to our yard) that bloomed for just 1 day!

Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of a Coulter Hibiscus flower.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #insect #moth #moths

Moths seem to get less press than butterflies (perhaps because many butterflies are brightly colored?) but so are moths! These beautiful moths graced our patio recently so I painted them for my Perpetual Journal.

Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of 2 Emerald Moths and 1 Common Angle Moth.

MsLiz

#Flowers #yellow #desert #SonoranDesert #California

Blooming Brittlebush carpet the foothills in vibrant yellow blankets. Yellow superbloom! ~10 photos. Via Cindy Knoke.

https://cindyknoke.com/2023/05/07/wasteland-wakened/

#sonorandesert #quail #birds #gardening #arizona

This morning while doing yard cleanup, I almost disturbed this father Gambel's quail (Callipepla gambeli) and his babies when I was about to move pots and pull out weeds. Looks like this part of the yard will have to wait.

#cactus #gardening #flowers #SonoranDesert #nativeplants

Cylindropuntia Versicolor - Staghorn cholla

First flower, and only one. I missed out on seeing it fully opened up. Grown from a cutting.

huntersjames

If you recall a month ago this approach to the valley below was covered with bright yellow brittlebush in full bloom. Now the paloverde's below are all ablaze in bloom. Almost like the brittlebush have descended into the valley for one last hurrah! #Springtimeisfleeting #SonoranDesert

huntersjames

Felt like the morning for the entire universe started right here?
#southmountain #SonoranDesert #yellowisthesunnycolor

huntersjames

Today was a glorious morning
#SonoranDesert #PaloVerdeMicrophylla #theshadowknows

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #insect #Spring

Up until a few weeks ago, lots of (harmless) Crane Flies were hanging out on our patio ceiling. As I noted here for that week’s Perpetual Journal entry, the Crane Flies’ tiny, modified hind wings act like gyroscopes! WOW!

Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of a Crane Fly, showing the tiny club-like "halteres" - modified hind wings that act like gyroscopes.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Substack #blog #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #insect #wildflower #Spring

In April on my blog I shared art of/wrote about Sonoran Desert insects, flowering plants, weird & wonky plants & more. Check out my blog at https://paulaborchardt.substack.com/ & I’d love to have you subscribe to my free email newsletter!

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #Summer

Happy May! A couple of years ago I created an art series in which I painted 1 color/day of something from nature I saw in/from my yard including trees, wildflowers, cacti, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, skies & clouds. Here’s my Tucson Color Journal for May.

My Tucson Color Journal for May in which I painted 1 color/day of nature I saw in/from my yard including trees, wildflowers, cacti, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, and skies.

#SonoranDesert #cactus #CactusFlower #NaturePhotography #photography

Sonoran "Hecho" cactus (Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum) from a recent binational biodiversity cataloging expedition. I didn't see the bee until I was editing and digitally zoomed waaayy in.

This is the second such expedition I've been on and I'm working (slowly) on a story about it. I'm going to try to put up shorter posts while working on the longer piece.

Lens was my trusty Canon EF 70-200 2.8 then run through the Topaz Denoise and Giga apps (and then exported massively down-res'd for online publishing). The moon is visible in the original, but I removed it because it was too faint to really add much. It looked, to my eye, more like a big dust spot on the lens 🤷‍♂️

Second photo is a screenshot from Lightroom showing how much digital cropping was involved.

I am still working on getting my online print ordering set up, but I think I might offer this one. I usually like weirder things, dramatic weather and so on, but this is just pretty.

A close-up photo of a section of columnar, fluted cactus. There are three large, white somewhat frilly open flowers, plus numerous reddish closed buds. The cactus has clusters of gray spines at regular intervals along the vertical flutes. On the left, against the blue sky, a solitary bee aims directly for one of the flowers.

A screenshot from a photo editing program. In the frame is a photo of tall, fluted, columnar cactus with white flowers against a blue sky background. Most of the photo is semi-darkened. In the center is a very small rectangle that is exposed normally. This is the selected area of this larger photo that became the companion photo to this post. This screenshot illustrates how much of the original photo was cut away to get the shot of flowers with a bee.

Jay

before it gets too hot.....a few more poppies.
#Arizona #SonoranDesert #Gardening #Flowers

early morning view of a side yard of a house with assorted colored poppies in bloom.

#cactus #gardening #flowers #SonoranDesert

Opuntia gosseliniana - violet prickly pear

#cactus #nativeplants #flowers #gardening #sonorandesert #desert

Opuntia Engelmannii - Engelmann prickly pear

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #Ocotillo #flower #wildflower #Spring #insect #beetle

After I finished painting a blooming Ocotillo for my Perpetual Journal weekly art, an Iron Cross Blister Beetle visited our patio. With those amazing colors, I couldn’t resist adding it to my PJ page!

Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of Ocotillo in bloom and Iron Cross Blister Beetle in Tucson, AZ, USA

#cactus #flowers #gardening #SonoranDesert

Cylindropuntia imbricata - cane cholla. Native cactus.

#snake #herpetology #RattleSnake #sidewinder #KingSnake #snek #NoStepOnSnek #SonoranDesert #Arizona

There's a nice 15 mile R/T bike ride on a low-traffic well-paved county road here that is also a good place to look for snakes at dusk.

Yesterday evening: a western diamondback rattlesnake (alas, turns out it was dying after being run over), a king snake and my first sidewinder rattlesnake!

I shooed the sidewinder off with a stick and picked up the king snake and carried it off the pavement. I dragged the diamondback off with a stick, but it was barely moving.

Alas, I have to be back in California soon, but we've got snakes there.

A black and white striped snake on asphalt.

A small rattlesnake with ridges over its eyes that look like little horns, facing toward the camera. Its body is in an S shape, it's crawling on asphalt and the rattle is visible at the end of its tail.

A 3-fool long rattlesnake stretched out on sand and gravel. Various shades of browns, whites and creams form a geometric pattern of shapes somewhat like large diamonds along its back.

#SonoranDesert #gecko #moth #PorchLife

It's finally warm enough here that the critters are coming back out at night.

My cute little porch gecko caught a big fat cricket and is desperately trying to figure out how to swallow it. And check out the creepy face on the back of this moth. It's about 3 inches long.

I'm ready for sleep, but it's so lovely out here, watching the critters and listening to the coyotes.

A large moth with markings on the back that look like some kind of hairy alien or primate face, all made up of various shades of tans and browns.

A small lizard hanging upside down on brown wooden door trim against a white painted wall. In its mouth it has a very large cricket, all but the head protruding.

Jay

#Arizona #SonoranDesert #Cooking #Gardening

First blooms of the season.

some prickly pear pads in yellow blooms, during the mid day in a gravel area. A bee is at work in the bloom closest to the bottom.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Tucson #SonoranDesert #biodiversity #environment #PerpetualJournal #Spring #bird #birds #birding #BirdsOfMastodon #birdsong #hawk #CoopersHawk #goldfinch #wren #finch #dove #avian #soundscape

I always enjoy stepping outside & listening to the surround-sound Avian Chorus. This Perpetual Journal art depicts just a few of the birds we hear regularly in our yard!

Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of an Avian Chorus - depicting a few of the birds heard in our yard in Tucson, AZ, including Cooper's Hawk, Lesser Goldfinch, Curve-billed Thrasher, Pyrrhuloxia, Cactus Wren, Phainopepla, House Finch, and Mourning Dove.

My backyard, at least for another few weeks until work forces me back to California for a while. I really love it here. I love the Bay Area, but it hasn't felt like it loves me back for a very long time. Southern AZ at least feels like it thinks I'm kinda okay, like maybe we could at least be friends.

Anyway, here are a few nice #desert snaps from my walk.
#Arizona #SonoranDesert

A red flower cluster atop a thorny stalk, with a rocky desert outcrop in the background against a blue sky.

A single, deep red cactus flower atop a thorn covered branch of the cactus plant.

A vast desert landscape seen from a high point. There are small outcrops in the near ground and large, rocky mountain ranges across the horizon. The desert floor is covered with large cactus and green, woody shrubs. It is almost sunset so the rock outcrops and mountain ranges are casting long shadows.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #Substack #blog #fruit #flower #wildflower #Spring

I just published this art of a Bladderpod and another “weird & wacky” illustration on my blog. Check out my latest blog post & subscribe to my free email newsletter: https://paulaborchardt.substack.com/

Watercolor and pen art of a Bladderpod flower and fruit, Tucson, AZ, USA

Kelley Graham

Dear CFE 7 Homeowner

As you may know, for some time, our community has been inundated with a non-native invasive species commonly called Africa Sumac (Searsia Lancea formally Rhus Lancea). Our annual meeting master gardener guest speaker reminded us of the danger of this species. Many of the residents present spoke up and echoed the feeling that something must be done. We have consulted with our resident botanists and they agree; The trees must go. The African Sumacs out-compete and crowd out our native trees. There are communities in the foothills that have lost most of their mesquites, palo verdes and acacia trees as an African Sumac mono-culture has taken hold. We cannot allow that to happen..

The Tucson Audubon Society (yes, the bird people) has created a locally renown Invasive Plant Control group. The Pima Regional Flood Control District has tapped them to help with invasive species in the flood plains. Your HOA is contracting with them to address our African Sumac infestation in our HOA managed medians. They bring their conservation credentials to the work of eradicating the Sumacs.

This control program will take place over a five day period in mid-May. The process will not involve any spraying of herbicides. There will be areas that will appear denuded in the immediate aftermath of the trees’ removal. We will begin a revegetation program of native plants, though it will take time for these newly planted natives to become established and grow.

The Audubon Society has proposed a creative way to keep our cut down Sumac trees out of landfill. Instead of trucking the tree debris out of the community, they will chip the tree remains in place. Most of the major infestations have occurred in natural ditch like formations. These locations are able to accept the newly created mulch without street visibility. This new mulch will deliver nutrients to the soil, provide erosion control and form a barrier to prevent new African Sumac seedlings from sprouting. Homeowners that may want this organic mulch for their own yards are welcome to bag some up and carry it away. Your landscape committee will be happy to direct you to locations where the mulch may be accessed.

While the HOA is not asking you to remove trees growing on your property, if you are interested in evaluating ridding your home of African Sumacs, please contact landscape@CFE7.org . After the HOA sponsored median program is completed, we will gage homeowner interest. For those who participate we will provide a discounted fee to remove your Sumacs. You will be contributing to an enduring solution to the problem.

Attached is primer on why The African Sumacs are so destructive to our community

We invite your questions and comments in the coming 30 days. Please direct them to our Landscape Committee chairman: Robert Levaro, landscape@CFE7.org

#tucson #arizona #landscape #permatecture #InvasiveSpeciesControl #landscapem #SonoranDesert

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #Substack #blog

I recently started an email newsletter & blog about my art, and I’d love to have you subscribe to my free email newsletter to get my art delivered right to your Inbox. You can subscribe and see my first few posts on my blog at Substack: https://paulaborchardt.substack.com/

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #cactus #succulent #flower #biodiversity

I found lots of wonderfully weird and wacky plants from around the world, to draw at Tucson Botanical Gardens’ Cactus & Succulent Garden! 🌵

Tucson Botanical Gardens "weird and wacky" Cactus and Succulent Garden - watercolor and pen art depicting 6 cacti & succulents from Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, South America and Brazil.

Brian J. Enquist

The spring annual #wildflower bloom in SE #Arizona is off to a spectacular start #sonorandesert #Tucson #Biodiversity

Dalia_Z

3 months ago

Gorgeous day at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. #botany #sonorandesert #cacti

Fluffy white clouds in a bright blue sky, red rock hill in the background, along with a few visitors. The foreground contains several varieties of cactus, agave, aloe, brilliant yellow and deep pink flowers.

#Snow #Winter #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #Cactus #PricklyPear #Saguaro #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photography #BiologicalDiversity #Biodiversity #Photography #Outdoors

3 months ago

Snow in Tucson! ❄️ 🌵 This morning we woke to a snowy landscape here in Tucson. I’ve seen snow at our house just a handful of times in 20+ years - and never this much!

Snow on Prickly Pear cactus, Tucson, Arizona

Snowy mountains and landscape, Tucson, Arizona

Snow on Barrel cactus and Prickly Pear cactus, Tucson, Arizona

Deborah League

3 months ago

midnightcommander (he/him/his)

#cactus #desert #arizona #sonorandesert #photography #colorphotography #photographycolor #BlackMastodon #BlackFedi

Cactus (pointy ouchy thing) Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ USA 2013

Nikon D200 camera

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Tucson #SonoranDesert #PerpetualJournal #bird #birds #birding #CedarWaxwing

Here’s another of my Perpetual Journal entries: watercolor of a flock of beautiful Cedar Waxwings we saw in our yard recently!

(In Perpetual Journals you draw/write 1x/week & leave room on each page to draw/write that same week the next year & following years until each page is full).

Perpetual Journal watercolor and pen art of a flock of Cedar Waxwings resting on an agave stalk.

#desert #SonoranDesert #TreesAreOverRated

I love the Sonoran Desert so much. Went for a wandering hike with a friend today. Random snapshot, but it's like this everywhere around here.

Desert scene with bare, rocky ground and a small rocky peak in the background with blue sky. There are large saguaro cactus in the background. In the foreground, the landscape is covered with prickly white "teddy bear cholla" cactus.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #Tucson #SonoranDesert #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #colors #bird #birds #lichen #LichenSubscribe #NativePlants

Happy February! A couple of years ago I created an art series in which I painted 1 color/day representing something from nature I saw in/from my yard including trees, wildflowers, cacti, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, skies & clouds. Here’s my Tucson Color Journal for February.

My Tucson Color Journal art for February, showing colors of nature (including trees, wildflowers, cacti, animals, birds, insects, & skies) seen in and from my yard for each day of the month.

Athena 🦉🪴🐾🐓📚

Look what was on the roof last night!An owl! Good thing the chickens were already in their coops.#owls #arizona #sonoranlife #sonorandesert

Deborah League

#ArizonaSunset #AYearForArt #digitalart #digital #digitalartist #travelgoals #Nature #Arizona #SonoranDesert #colorful #landscapephotography #LoveArt #southwest #landscape #mastodon #mastoart #art #artist #arte #artwork #AYearForArt #ArtMatters #fediart #photography

Abstract desert landscape companion pieces. Colorful images of the Sonoran desert.

Piece #1 - https://deborah-league.pixels.com/featured/painted-desert-1-deborah-league.html

&

Piece #2 - https://deborah-league.pixels.com/featured/painted-desert-2-deborah-league.html

Painted Desert #1 Digital Painting. The colors of the desert really pop in this semi-abstract painting of an arid landscape. In the foreground, dry bones from some unfortunate creature that likely succumbed to thirst or heat. In the mid-ground a gulch and then a mesa or flat topped foot hill, and in the distance, mountains and the beautiful skies you get only in desert areas. The sky is full of movement and the clouds appear to be filling with moisture, building up to an afternoon rainstorm. Heat, as depicted by hot and warm colors, radiates from the canvas.

Painted Desert #1 Digital Painting. All the imagery of an old-time western can be found on this canvas. A Native American on his horse, cattle, a rustic encampment, epic vistas and flat topped mesas. Take a minute and see what else you can find.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #Tucson #SonoranDesert #PerpetualJournal #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #Lichen #fungi #fungus #color #green

5 months ago

Here’s my latest Perpetual Journal art: light gray-green lichen with a beautiful undulating edge - growing on a rock right outside my studio window here in Tucson.

I’m finding out that #LichenSubscribe is as dangerous a time suck as #Mosstodon. Thanks everyone! 🥰

My Perpetual Journal pen and watercolor art of gray-green lichen growing on a rock in my yard in Tucson.

#SciArt #SciArtist #art #illustration #watercolor #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #Tucson #SonoranDesert #MastoArt #ArtistsOnMastodon #moss #Mosstodon #bird #birding #owl #hawk #insect #color #colors

5 months ago

Happy New Year! A couple of years ago I created an art series in which I painted 1 color/day representing something from nature I saw in/from my yard including trees, wildflowers, cacti, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, skies & clouds. Here’s my Tucson Color Journal for January.

Tucson Color Journal - January - art in which I painted 1 color/day representing something from nature I saw in/from my yard including trees, wildflowers, cacti, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, skies & clouds.