Since arriving in Arizona I have joined my mom on her walks along a desert nature trail. The trail runs along the Electric Company easement behind her house for four city blocks and has been developed over the past 40+ years by volunteers in her community. With her community pool closed, this is Mom’s primary form of exercise usually with a walk in the morning and a shorter walk in the evening.
People who live along the trail add their own personal touches. For Easter one family decorates the cacti behind their house for the holiday. Another anonymous person leaves painted rocks in unique places for hikers to take home with them. There’s usually four our five every week. I don’t pick one up (I don’t really think that William and I want to travel around the US and the world with any more weight), but each time I see one it brings a smile to my face. They are usually picked up within a day.
Along the trail we see various species of cacti, including Saguaro, Barrel, Cholla, and Prickly Pear. Over the course of six weeks many bloom, and the flowers are beautiful.
In addition to flora, the trail provides some desert fauna. Jackrabbits are abundant but we also see a few prairie dogs, Gila monsters, and squirrels. Quail make their homes under the bushes and cacti and it is fun to see them with their heads bobbing. A highlight each day is watching the peach-faced lovebirds that congregate on bushes near a Saguaro. I’m happy that we don’t see any snakes!
RSS Feed