What I didn’t mention in my picture montage of 2022 was my diagnosis of breast cancer in November. I never expected a routine mammogram to lead to a mastectomy. Right? I found out in late October that I had 2 suspicious calcification areas in my left breast. The odds were 20/80 and always in my favor: a second mammogram, not to worry; let’s do a biopsy just to make sure, probably nothing; lumpectomy and radiation probably the worst scenario… I lost all 3 wagers!
Even though I had stage 0 non-invasive cancer cells in 2 milk ducts (dcis), my surgeon recommended a mastectomy because the ducts were far apart, most likely the connecting tissue between the ducts contained cancer cells, and a lumpectomy would remove a third of my breast anyway. The silver lining was that I would not need any chemo or radiation. Still, it was a lot to experience and process in a little over a month. A phone call, a second mammogram, a biopsy, a diagnosis, a major body altering surgery to schedule… I was so depressed. It was really difficult to get through the holidays. I wasn’t scared about the cancer so much as devastated by the mastectomy!
But again, the good news was I went to OSU’s Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center. It’s a one stop treatment center, close to The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. In just one visit I met my surgeon and found out his recommendation of a mastectomy, I met with a plastic surgeon to learn of my reconstruction options (an implant) which I opted out of, I had lab work done, and I scheduled my surgery for January 13, 2023. And I just happened to have had a top- rated, very precise, (picky), and preferred surgeon from every female staff member I talked to! Plus, my surgery was the first one of the day so it went by quickly and now it’s over! It did take 8 weeks to feel like my new normal self again. I still have numbness and almost full range motion of my left arm. And I am embracing my huge scar and lopsided chest! Since my diagnosis, 2 beautiful women in Olivia’s family (well, mine now too) are fighting breast cancer as well. What a coincidence! And none of us knew this on October 15th, the day of Olivia and John’s wedding!
My January
Think pink…
Meanwhile Oliver and his family enjoyed the hot tub in the cold weather…
And Reagan and Brian worked on her 100th day of school project together: 10 sets of 10 animals…
On January 25th, my grandson, Sascha was born in London! He is 3 months old now and I am going to fly to London in a few weeks to see him, hold him, play with him, and cuddle!
I can’t wait to hold my little guy! You are precious, Sascha. I love you sooo sooo much!
And Reuben turned 9!
A Ninja Warrior Birthday Party, so cool! I miss you lots, Reuben, and I hope I get to see you when I am in the UK next month. Love, Grammy…
Our Kiddos in Jernigan Land!
Finn…
Jasley…
Jace…
Eliska…
I miss you guys and love you bunches!
Homemade Valentines
Ollie’s 8th Birthday!
Party at We Rock the Spectrum…
Shaun the Sheep cake! No, I didn’t make this…
Caregivers Emma, Jamie, and her boyfriend, Jake…
A quote on the wall says it all about this place: “Finally a place where you never have to say I’m sorry.”
A Hike with Papa Jeff and Grammy L
Random Times
Ollie loves the hot tub! Thank you Make A Wish!
Graeter’s ice cream after school…
Reagan and friends at preschool…
Reagan loves to take selfies…
An afternoon at Grammy L’s…
The new roller slide, a sensory delight for Oliver… I know fuzzy picture from a video, sorry…
Goodbye RV
As I write this post, Jeff is driving the RV to its new home. After signing all the papers, he will unhook our car and drive back to Columbus, Ohio.
And with that, the fat lady has sung… Thank you and good night!
2021 tick-tocks its way into 2022. …Greetings from France, Christmas gifts for Oliver and Reagan at our place, 3 weeks in London with Andy and I meet Reuben for the first time!!!!
Happy New Year from France!
Claire’s parents…
Christmas at our place…
The Green Room Cafe and Flower Store… Stoke Newington Church Street, London…
Chef Andy in his kitchen…
A pint and a pub with a peep…
A proper Sunday pot roast…
Roger, of “The World in Roger’s Beard”, and Robbie Graham, the illustrator of the book…
January 31st, 2022! Reuben’s Birthday Party… shared with a friend’s birthday on the same day!!
Last dinner with Reuben…
Reuben impersonates Grammy!
What a great way to begin the new year! Jeff was still in Colorado with his family. Claire was in Beijing covering the Olympics for her work. Olivia and John were planning their wedding in October. Brian and Jen were hanging in there while I was gone, eagerly awaiting my return and Jeff’s. Then Jeff had to drive back out to Colorado as David was not doing well. Meanwhile Brian and I looked at an apartment a few blocks away from his house that was undergoing a complete renovation. I put my name on the list for September!
The new kitchen is coming along…
Reagan loves to take selfies…
And pictures of us…
And Oliver…
She really lights up a room!
Henry and Oliver… 2 peas in a pod!
Come on, Papa Jeff, let’s color!
Uncle John visits…
Reagan, the “mad scientist”
April 2, 2022… Oliver is 7!
A hike at Blacklick Woods with Henry and his dad on Oliver’s birthday…
Taking a break from hiking…
My attempt at a checker board race car cake…
Ollie approves!
Can you see the black and white checks?
Henry loves to give hugs!
Who can this card be from?
Opening gifts from family:
Racing car cake Part II…
My helpers for Oliver’s Birthday Party cupcakes…
Ollie’s 7th Birthday Party:
Special moments…
…with Ollie…
Ollie loves to carry in the carry-out…
Reagan puts jelly beans in the plastic eggs for Henry and Oliver…
And hides them for an Easter Egg Hunt (with a little help from dad)…
Reagan can pump herself on a swing!
Jigsaw puzzles…
100 pieces…
Can she do 200 pieces by herself? You bet!
Swimming lessons… Ollie kept saying Grammy L!
Reagan having too much fun…
New backyard pool…
Her crocodile’s name is Poolie
Henry, Oliver, and Jack…
Horse camp…
Hanging out in Reagan’s room…
Mom’s birthday… Reagan decorated the cake Grammy L baked…
Mom makes a wish…
Vacation! Upper peninsula of Michigan…
Boat to Mackinac Island…
Lake Huron…
Two too cute cuties…
A splash area along the docks…
I’m ready for the pool!
Happy Birthday, Olivia!
Reagan is having a great time…
Oliver and Reagan with Jamie, Ollie’s caregiver extraordinaire!
Papa Jeff “watches” Oliver…
…To Dad!
Dad’s birthday…
A card from Ollie…
Lemon bars with sprinkles by Reagan…
Sidewalk art turtle…
Rainbows and unicorns…
Blowing bubbles…
…and…
…balloons!
Helping Grammy L in the kitchen…
Finishing touches… but don’t ask me to eat this!
The garden…
Lynds Fruit Farm…
Apple picking… and sampling…
An afternoon with John and Olivia at Denison University, her alma mater…
Ballet lessons…
…with Aunt Jess…
My 70th birthday gift from Brian!
Reagan’s Child of the Week poster…
Happy 5th Birthday, Reagan!
A gift from Oliver…
Baking rainbow cupcakes for her friends and teachers at preschool…
48 cupcakes in all!
Wedding rehearsal… Olivia and her mom…
The house is transformed into a venue…
Kelly, Olivia, Jen, Claire, and me (The first time we all meet Claire in person!!!)
Reagan’s birthday party with friends…
The girls…
…and Ollie with a big ol’ kiss from Grammy L on his forehead!
Halloween Parade at preschool…
Dinotopia at the Bexley Library…
Lots of fun crafts…
Playing Sorry after our Thanksgiving dinner…
Across the pond, Andy gets ready for Sascha’s arrival…
A hot tub from “Make A Wish”…
Mood lighting…
An Advent Calendar jigsaw puzzle…
Reagan doesn’t do windows though…
Preschool concert… “Mele Kalikimaka”…
The jigsaw puzzle is finished! Tomorrow is Christmas Day!
We no longer live in our tin can Georgetown RV (Georgie) but in a one bedroom apartment a few blocks away from Oliver and Reagan. (For our first year we lived in another complex about 2 miles away because Cassady North Apartments, where we currently reside, was undergoing major renovations.) It’s a small building of 84 one and two bedroom apartments barely in Bexley but we can walk out the door and walk into a beautiful neighborhood.
Instead of a wandering gypsy going with the flow of discovering new places to explore, I became a wondering gypsy going with the flow of discovering how I could help my son and his family care for a beautiful boy with Sanfilippo Syndrome and his younger neuro-typical sister. Helping, of course, also meant doing chores, running errands, grocery shopping, and just being available. My other two sons, Andy and John, questioned me about this decision to stop traveling and move to Columbus, Ohio. “Is this how you want to spend your retirement years (euphemism for the rest of your remaining years on this earth)?”
I honestly didn’t know if I did, but… My heart told me yes. Of course I questioned if this was the right decision. Would I have time for myself to grow and explore? Would I lose my freedom? Would I regret returning to the Preserve and Port Orford? Not to mention if Jeff was okay with this. His family is in Colorado and he has a quadriplegic son who needs assistance and another son and daughter-in-law and 4 grandchildren. Was I being selfish?
I can’t answer all that just yet, but, oh my!… Most of these special moments, from 2021, I would have missed if I didn’t live here:
Reagan, dog whisperer and lady of fashion:
Oh, Ollie! Next door neighbors let us borrow their blow-up water slide…
Taking Ms. Kelsey out for her birthday for some Johnson’s ice cream:
So yum! And so much fun with Ms. Kelsey, neighbor and Reagan’s Bungalow Branch Daycare provider for 2 years…
My handsome boy who dressed himself with his shirt inside-out:
Reagan’s adorable sleep mask… and yes she brings it to sleepover at Grammy L’s!
Raising money to find a cure for Sanfilippo Syndrome:
Setting up…
We borrowed this homemade stand from Henry’s dad, Steve!
“O,Reagan,O”… our sweet new Sanfilippo friend and hero who passed away a few weeks after we met her…
Taking Reagan to the Zoo…
And heading home…
Ollie’s first day of school… First Grade…
Dad and Reagan make a Zoo with her 96+ stuffies:
The tents dad builds for Oliver and Reagan…
John and Olivia are an hour and a half drive away… and that’s the Ohio River as seen from their balcony…
Happy Birthday, Reagan! Rainbow cupcakes were a success…
Rainbow cake and cupcakes…
The birthday cake!
Reagan’s party…
A great place for a party!
Reagan and her BF, Charlotte, eating rainbow cake…
Bath time at Grammy L’s:
A beautiful Bexley sunset!
Chase and Skye…
Henry and Ollie…
Halloween Parade at Pre-School…
Reagan takes ukulele lessons…
Best Buds: Oliver, Henry, Jack, and Charlie…
Chilling at Grammy L’s…
Snowflakes keep falling on my head…
And yes, that snowflake fell at the perfect photo shoot moment giving Oliver a snowflake mustache! Oh, Ollie!
Thanksgiving in Cincinnati with Olivia’s family, now my family too!
A December morning walk at Innis Woods…
Ollie and his vehicles… can’t leave home without at least one!
Christmas Eve at the Zoo…
Christmas morning:
Just what I wanted!
What is this?
Go Ollie!
I just love dragons!
Thank you, Magaw!
Let’s play together!
Such precious moments! Did I forget to mention that Reagan and I slept downstairs together on Christmas Eve? (Jeff was in Colorado because his son, David was in and out of the hospital with pneumonia.)
Since we were in the basement, we decided we would look for Santa’s boots on the driveway before he climbed the chimney. Unfortunately, we fell asleep instead…
Meanwhile, across the pond, Claire and Andy sent me this picture from France:
Andy and Claire in France with her family…
After spending Christmas morning with Oliver and Reagan, I drove down to Cincinnati to spend Christmas with John and Olivia and her family, as Jeff was in Colorado attending the needs of his family.
(A lot going on! The second half of 2021 was all about adventures with family. For now the RV will stay in Colorado as Jeff’s home away from home… one year at a time…)
The Miracle League of Central Ohio was formed in 2005 with the mission of building a unique baseball field for athletes with mental and physical challenges in the Columbus area. The city of Dublin generously donated the land.
Oliver and his two best friends, Jack and Henry, played in the 2021 season. Every player on each team took 2 turns at bat and advanced each base one by one. Assisted by parents and family and friends most athletes were more enthused than Oliver who preferred eating snacks and playing in the nearby playground.
Meanwhile, Reagan played soccer in the Spring and cheerleaded for The Mets (when she wasn’t too busy playing with Henry’s sister, Andy, beside the bleachers…)
Good people crawl out of the woodwork celebrating our children’s best together…We never imagined such opportunities existed!
Palm Canyon is considered the world’s largest native California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) oasis. Originally the ancestral home of the Atcitcem Clan (People of Good), Palm Canyon was given as a gift to the Kauisiktum Clan (People of the Fox) of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. (plaque at Palm Canyon)
With an abundant water supply, plants and animals thrived. For thousands of years the Cahuilla people grew crops of melons, squash, beans, and corn and gathered plants and seeds for food, medicine, and basket weaving. (Indian Canyons Trail Guide brochure)
We wind our way down into the canyon following the stream…
And ascend the ridge to return…
It really is incredible to look about and see lush palm trees popping up among the rock formations and harsh but subtlety beautiful desert environment.
As we continue heading back, Palm Springs looms in the distance.
Beside us, the rock formations are amazing.
And when we see the view below is carpeted in the green canopy of palm trees once again, we see the trading post and parking lot in the distance where we started our hike.
Notice the trail leading out of the canyon on the other side. That’s part of the West Fork Trail, about 9 miles long, obviously a more strenuous one than the Palm Canyon and Victor Trail we are hiking. Indian Canyons (Andreas, Palm, and Murray) have more than 60 miles of hiking and walking trails.
But then the trail veers away again into more rock sculptures only nature can carve.
Finally, as we loop our way back to where we began, Jeff bemoans not seeing something he was hoping to see… Then suddenly!…
Do you see it?
Jeff’s wish comes true! A big-horned sheep appears out of nowhere and poses for us. So cool!
What a great way to end our hike!
But wait, there’s more… Just a short hike from the parking area is West Fork Falls.
Nestled between giant boulders of rock, the falling water sprays us with a refreshing cool mist.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians have always been industrious and creative with a reputation for independence, integrity, and peace. In 1876 and 1877, the U.S. Federal Government deeded in trust to the Agua Caliente people 31,500 acres for their homeland. About 6,700 acres of these are within the Palm Springs city limits. The remaining sections span across the desert and mountains in a checkerboard pattern:
Named for William Cooper in 1825, this New York naturalist collected specimens of this hawk and later became the first American to join the London Zoological Society. Common nesters in the Southwest United States, Cooper’s hawks breeding range covers most of the lower 48 continental states plus southern Canada and Mexico. But they prefer the riparian zones along streams and desert washes. Like owls, Cooper’s hawks will cough up the indigestible parts of their prey: feathers, fur, bones, and scales. (desertusa.com)
Why Did the Bighorn Sheep Cross the Road?
We’re not quite sure, but on September 3rd 2020, Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies we’re dispatched to Washington Street in La Quinta to check out the following traffic hazard:
So, traffic was shut down for about an hour while police slowly escorted these peninsular bighorn sheep back to the Santa Rosa Mountains.
Check out these photos from the Desert Sun:
Peninsular bighorn sheep inhabit the dry, rocky, low-elevation desert slopes, canyons, and washes from the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains near Palm Springs, south into Baja California according to the Bighorn Institute in Palm Desert. In 1998 they were federally listed as an endangered species due to disease, habitat loss, and human disturbance. (desertsun.com)
Sidewinder
Notice the squiggly even-spaced tracks I highlighted in blue below within the Preserve’s Utility Vehicle’s (Mule) tire tracks.
These squiggles are the tracks of the sidewinder rattlesnake, a relatively small pit viper up to 32 inches long, that lives in desert habitats and is named for its unique side-stepping locomotion that helps it move across loosely packed sand at up to 18 mph. It’s rough scales assist them to move in this S-motion across hot sand without burning themselves. A unique hornlike structure above each eye protects its eyes from sunlight and blowing sand. (a-z-animals.com)
zackandscottkarmachameleons.wordpress.com courtesy of Jason Jones
Sidewinders are active during the day in cooler weather months and nocturnal during the warm seasons. Although they have a venomous bite, these guys are shy snakes and only bite humans because they are frightened. (a-z-animals.com)
Courtesy of Mark_Kostitch/Shutterstock.com
The Great Horned Owl…
is named for its tuft of feathers that sit atop its head. So, what look like horns are just fluff called plumicorns 🥴! One of the most common owls in North America, these owls can live in a variety of habitats that include forests, swamps, desert, tundra edges, rain forests, cities, suburbs, ants parks. Like other owls, great horned owls swallow their prey (rodents, skunks, geese) whole and later regurgitate pellets composed of bone, fur, and other unwanted parts of their meal. (kids.nationalgeographic.com)
The pond at the Preserve was the best place to spot these fierce predators.
Great horned owls are great parents and will defend their nests at all costs. Each spring on the Preserve we would look for nests of young owls at the pond. The dad owl would guard the nest from a distance like a sentinel while mom nurtured the owlets for 10-12 weeks until they were ready to fly. We observed 3 furry babies each year. So awesome!
Shadow
This sweet little kitten was dropped off in the desert by some uncaring person to try and survive in an unnatural environment. Fortunately a hiking couple brought him to us and we immediately named him Shadow. Poor little guy was soooo hungry, he devoured 2 cans of tuna fish! We took him to the nearby No-Kill Cat Shelter on Ramon Rd. and they checked him out and assured us Shadow (they kept the name) would be adopted quickly.
A happy ending to a sad story…
Jeff shared this story with me while I was away visiting my son and his family in Ohio. (My other two sons were living in the UK at the time.) Some women hikers walked to the pond and then headed to Vista Point on the Moon Country Trail. While up on Vista Point, they noticed a coyote in the distance. As they headed back to the main oasis, the coyote approached them. Well, the coyote turned out to be a dog abandoned in the desert. As the women were leaving the Preserve, a No Dog area, Jeff saw them in the parking lot and started to talk to them about the dog, unleashed and definitely not welcome here. The women explained what happened and apparently because this dog adopted them, they decided to take this abandoned guy home with them to its new forever home. Another happy ending…
Mallards
A pair of Mallard Ducks set up “house” on the Pond after the invasive crawfish of the 1950s were introduced for Boy Scouts to catch and unwanted home aquarium fish were secretly dumped into the Pond crafted by a spring rising from the San Andreas Fault.
Mallards generally mate for life which is why we see them in pairs: the colorful males who do not quack but emit a quieter, rasping sound and the brown-toned females who definitely quack. (allaboutbirds.org)
The male mallard duck is called a drake and has a glossy green head, a white ring around its neck, and a rich chestnut brown breast. In contrast, the female mallard duck is mottled brown and dull in comparison to the male. Females lay up to a dozen eggs in nests on the ground near water. A little more than a day after hatching, ducklings can run, swim, and forage for food on their own. Ducklings remain in the nest for less than a month. A group of ducklings is called a brood and outside the nest, the brood sticks close by the mother for safety, following her in a neat, single-file line. (kids.nationalgeographic.com)
Unfortunately the great horned owls feed upon the mallard ducklings and even upon the mallards as well.
Cactus Wren…
A large chunky wren with a long heavy bill, a long rounded tail, and short rounded wings… a speckled brown bird with a bright white eyebrow and cinnamon sides… (allaboutbirds.org) Kind of sounds like a wine bouquet description!
audubon.org, courtesy of Gaetan Dupont/Audubon Photography Awards
Cactus wrens are ubiquitous in the southwest deserts, usually seen in pairs or families, strutting on the ground or in the brush. They live in a variety of low dry habitats that include: cactus, yucca, mesquite, and thorny shrubs. These were the first birds we learned to identify on the Preserve because of their distinguished call that sounds like a metal rake dragged through loose gravel, like “rrrack” or “rrreek” with the initial “r” sound emphasized.
Males and females build nests together usually in cholla cactus (pictured below) but also in yucca trees, mesquite, acacia, or palo verde. These bulky masses of weeds, grass, and twigs are lined with feathers, animal hair, and plant down, and are shaped like a football lying on its side. The entrance is at one end, with a narrow tubular passage leading to the nest chamber. (allaboutbirds.org, audubon.org, birdsoftheworld.org)
allaboutbirds.org, courtesy of Douglas Bruns/Macaulay Library
Below are some pics I took of cactus wrens posing in fallen palm fronds. To the left is an entrance to a nest inside of the skirt of a California Palm Tree. I actually saw the cactus wren enter this hole in the skirt with soft and fuzzy plant debris in its mouth and disappear inside! The nest was about 15 feet from the ground. Notice the dangling plant down residue clinging beneath the entrance to the nest.
Cactus wrens mostly eat insects and some fruits and seeds, foraging among leaf matter on the ground and probing in bark crevices in low trees. On the ground, these birds are known to insert their bill under a leaf or small rock to look for food underneath. Adaptable and curious, cactus wrens will explore new sources of food from poking into pine cones and picking up smashed insects from the front ends of parked cars. (audubon.org)
Just Some More Pics of Speckled Rattlesnakes on the Preserve…
cuz they are cool… unless you pose for a selfie with them!
Desert Scorpion
Not so funny story… During our first fall and winter as Preserve Hosts at Coachella Valley Preserve Thousand Palms Oasis, I came back from either a hike or cleaning the Palm House Visitor Center log cabin and was excitedly met by Jeff and the other host, Gregg, eagerly asking me to move the umbrella for our backyard community patio table that was resting by the supply and laundry shed. I must admit I was a bit surprised because we lived under palm trees and an umbrella was not necessary for shading the table. But, I gullibly lifted the umbrella and was startled to discover a skinny crablike white and green spider thing with a curled tail. Instead of taking the time to give it a closer inspection and take its picture, I screamed and quickly put the umbrella down. I will never forget my first elusive encounter with a desert scorpion and hoped I would have a chance to see more and learn more. But, unfortunately, I never did!
Fortunately, another Preserve host, Ken Mix, did encounter a desert scorpion and took great pictures that he shared with me:
The most common scorpion found in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and the Baja California Norte area of Mexico is the Arizona giant hairy scorpion, the largest of its species in the U.S., often exceeding 5 inches in length. (acis.cals.arizona.edu)
Arizona Hairy Scorpion courtesy of Fritz Geller-Grimm.Wikipedia Commons
Scorpions are believed to have have originated in the ocean with gills and a claw like appendage enabling them to hold onto rocky shores or seaweed. Because of their documented presence in an abundance of fossil records, they are thought to have existed in some form since about 425-450 million years ago. (desertusa.com)
Here is a simple anatomy lesson:
australian.museum, courtesy Andrew Howells
The scorpion’s body consists of a head and abdomen. A pair of eyes is on top of its head, but 2-5 more pairs may be be found laterally on the side of its head. Extending from the head are a pair of claws used for capturing prey and mating. These claws are called pedipalps. The abdomen has a main body (mesosoma) and a tail (metasoma). The metasoma curves up and ends in a bulb-like vessel containing venom glands and a sharp spine that delivers venom. And as a distant cousin of the spider, they have 8 legs. To summarize: scorpions look sort of like a skinny crab, have 4 pairs of legs, a pair of pincers, and a long, segmented tail that curls up with a stinger on the end. (desertusa.com)
Scorpions use their venom to subdue prey and defend themselves. Most scorpion stings are not life threatening to humans, the exception being the sting of the bark scorpion.
The Arizona bark scorpion colonizes small portions of California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Texas, and northwestern Mexico. Adults measure 2-3 inches in length and are more slender. It’s sting is hazardous to adults and requires medical intervention. (acis.cals.arizona.edu)
wikimedia, courtesy of Musides
Desert Iguana
One of my very favorite critters on the Preserve, the desert iguana is likely to be seen in spring and summer within range of the creosote bush, that is mainly dry, sandy desert scrubland. Their favorite food is the yellow flower of the creosote bush. (animalia.bio)
desertmuseum.org
Including its tail, this medium-sized desert dweller can reach a length of 16 inches. Desert iguanas are pale gray or whitish with a tan or brown meshed pattern on the back and sides. This heat-loving lizard depends upon the creosote bush especially for food and protection. It crawls into the branches and enjoys eating the leaves and flowers. It burrows around and under the shrub roots to avoid extreme temperatures and predators. (desertmuseum.org)
On a late April morning, Jeff opened the door to our RV…
Just look who came to visit!
A speckled rattlesnake! And yes, they are venomous and potentially dangerous if disturbed.
These long, heavy-bodied snakes with thin necks, triangular heads, and a rattle on the end of their tails, inhabit the rocky areas of the deserts and mountains, and southern coast region of California. (californiaherps.com)
Rattlesnakes are “pit vipers” which means they have 2 organs, one on each side of the front of the head above their mouth. These “pits” are used to sense the heat radiating from warm-blooded prey. (californiaherps.com) I circled the pits in the photo below.
californiaherps.com, courtesy of Gary Nafis
A few days later, Jeff steps onto the boardwalk of the main oasis. Luckily he was looking down as he quickly backs off and decides to take a detour…
Ginny, our Preserve Manager, hears this rattler in early May…
As we say on the Preserve, “let sleeping snakes lie…”
Desert Cottontail
Sylvilagus auduboni live in a wide variety of habitats including: arid desert grasslands and shrublands, riparian areas, and pinyon-juniper forests. (desertusa.com)
The desert cottontail’s ears are larger than other species and most often are carried erect.
Normal behavior upon spotting a predator, most likely coyotes, owls, bobcats, and yes humans) is to freeze in place to avoid being detected. Upon sensing imminent danger, the cottontail will hop away in a zig zag pattern.
On windy days cottontails are rarely found outside their burrows because the wind interferes with their ability to hear approaching predators. (animalia.bio)
Desert cottontails eat grasses, cacti, bark, twigs, and the beans of mesquite. Rarely do they need to drink as they get water from the plants they consume or from dew on leaves. (pbs.org)
Jack Rabbits…
also live in the Sonoran desert and are distinguishable for their big ears and top notch speed.
desertusa.com, courtesy of James Bremner Jr.
Jack rabbits are true hares because, unlike cotton tailed rabbits, they do not build nests. The mother simply chooses a place to give birth and the young are born fully furred, with their eyes wide open.
There are 3 species of the genus Lepus native to California: 1.) The black-tailed jack rabbit (Lepus californicus) is a desert dweller, preferring to live in the valleys that are flat and open. Its cousin, the antelope jack rabbit (Lepus alleni) prefers the Sonoran desert. 2.) The white-tailed jack rabbit is the largest of California’s hares and inhabits the hills of the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. 3.) The snowshoe rabbits range is in the higher elevations of the mountains. (desertusa.com)
Jeff and I would often see jack rabbits hiding and darting between bushes along the Indian Palms Trail across the street from the main oasis and in the open valley of Moon Country.
Dragonflies
There are an estimated 117 species of identified dragonflies in the Southwest who prefer the arid lands and warm waters of the desert.
They come in a rainbow of colors including: red, fuchsia, orange, blue, emerald green, gold, black, maroon, earth toned, and even metallic. Their size varies too, from nearly 6 inches to less than an inch.
Dragonflies start life as a tiny egg, not much bigger than a period at the end of a sentence. These eggs are scattered over waterways or inserted into vegetation that is floating in or overhanging water. Eggs can hatch within weeks to become larva. This stage can last from a month or two to even a few years of growing and molting. After emerging from its shell, the new adult dragonfly is ready to fly off in an hour or more.
Sadly, adults live for only several weeks to months, feeding on vast quantities of mosquitoes, gnats, and other small insects in order to mature sexually and mate. (desertusa.com)
Spiders
Hot temperatures and long periods without water are the two major obstacles desert spiders must endure. Early mornings on the boardwalk of the main oasis is where Jeff and I would see them actively at work spinning silky orbs and feasting on snared prey. I think these spiders are sand wolf spiders who live comfortably in the dry desert and can stay cool under the shade of palm trees on the Preserve. Their eyes glow at night due to a special reflective tissue that helps them see better in the dark. (a-z-animals.com) Now, that would be a cool picture!
A similar desert spider is the giant crab spider with a body size of 0.8 inches and a leg span up to 6 inches. These huntsmen usually hide in the day to tolerate the heat and aggressively hunt at night feeding on small lizards, other spiders, insects, and other small invertebrates. (a-z-animals.com)
The desert recluse spider, which we have never seen, has long legs for sliding through sand. It has a toxic bite that is capable of killing the cells and tissues around this bite. Fortunately, bites are quite rare in humans because, as its name implies, this spider dwells far off in the desert where most people have no desire to wander. (a-z-animals.com)
The desert tarantula is a very common species of the desert, living in sand burrows to escape the heat. I never saw one, but Jeff did, right off the boardwalk of the main oasis. Apparently this lonely guy is wandering around looking for a mate, according to a-z-animals.com
Desert Squirrels
Since trees are scarce, squirrels that live in the desert are small gnawing mammals that dwell on the ground and dig burrows to live in and to safely retreat from their many predators. All Sonoran Desert squirrels are Ground Squirrels.
The round-tailed ground squirrel is active in the summer months as it hibernates during winter. It is sandy colored (duh), resembling a prairie dog, with smooth fur and a long tail tipped in black. I never noticed the black on its tail, however. These critters never stood still long enough for me to get a closer look! (desertmuseum.org)
Courtesy of animalia.bio, here is a great pic of the round-tailed ground squirrel:
This little guy “invested” in real estate property outside of our RV and built a subdivision of burrows!
