Today I went down to Oak Creek Canyon and Red Tank Draw below the Rim to help him study plants in preparation for his plant taxonomy final. Entering into the top of Oak Creek Canyon, we found the already picturesque scenery that much more gorgeous with fresh snowfall from the storm that hit the area the last few days. In the upper parts of the canyon the snow depth was at least 6 inches deep, probably more in spots. We ended up walking around Cave Springs and Encinoso campgrounds, with a brief stop at Grasshopper Point. Afterwards we made it over to Red Tank Draw while we had ~30-45 minutes of daylight remaining. At the draw there was only tiny patches of snow remaining below some trees, hinting that this was probably the lower elevational limit of the snowfall. Some nice fall color was still present along the draw, with the velvet ashes and Arizona sycamores giving off pumpkin-orange colors next to the golden yellow hues of the cottonwood leaves. Not too much in the way of wildlife, although we found that a likely-raccoon had created yellow snow below a cottonwood at Cave Springs and we watched a Sharp-shinned Hawk swoop after a Black Phoebe at Red Tank Draw. We also had a pair of Belted Kingfishers along Oak Creek and several Western Bluebirds were foraging on Phoradendron mistletoe berries at Encinoso. A nice day to go out botanizing!
Snow-covered Douglas-firs at the top of OCC:
Old orchard at Cave Springs campground:
Encinoso picnic area:
Jesse identifying a New Mexico locust (Robinia neomexicana):
View from Grasshopper Point:
Remaining snow below a netleaf hackberry (Celtis reticulata, or C. laevigata) at Red Tank Draw:
Lingering fall colors at Red Tank Draw, left to right: Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii), velvet ash (Fraxinus velutina), and Arizona sycamore (Platanus wrightii):
velvet ash:
Arizona sycamore leaves in reflecting pool:
cattail (Typha latifolia):
The silhouetted big mass in the cottonwood below is a Cooper's Hawk nest (it was active this past spring):
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