A couple of months ago a wildfire went across the foothills of Picketpost Mountain, which the arboretum is at the base of. Luckily, firefighters kept it from destroying the plant collections with the exception of a few plants at the entrance. Overall it doesn't look like the fire was too bad, although many of the native Sonoran Desert plants in the foothills are not fire-adapted. Hopefully the fire did not kill too many of the large saguaros on the trail up Picketpost Mountain. Here's a shot looking up towards the burn area beyond Queen Creek wash:
Turkey Vultures soaking up the morning rays:
Northern Cardinal singing from a ponderosa pine planted in one of the arboretum gardens (a sight you're not going to see in a natural ecosystem):
Yellow-breasted Chat:
Three bird species (Hooded Oriole, Yellow-breasted Chat, immature Summer Tanager) in a tree together:
Butterflies:
zebra-tailed lizard:
tiger whiptial (?):
pomegranite fruit (possibly split open because of the heat/dryness??):
pineapple guava, which has weird flowers or fruit with dips in it (for water collection??):
whitemouth dayflower (Commelina erecta., Family Commelinaceae):
society garclic:
desert hackberry / granjeno (Celtis pallida, Family Ulmaceae):
cactus sp.:
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