Bugs, blooming cactus and a snake
For the last two weeks it’s been loud around the house. The reasons for increased noise level are millions and millions of bugs (some sort of cicadae) that recently left the ground and climbed up on the trees to hatch to their final form: huge winged bugs that make a hell of a lot of noise.
All around our house you can see the empty shells of those bugs on the trees and there are areas where there are literally hundreds of empty bugs on the trees:
Once they hatch they turn into those little buggers:
While they are annoying when they constantly bump into you during our walks, they also seem to be a delicious little protein-treat for the dogs. We see them constanly chewing on those bugs during our morning and evening walks.
Another transformation is taking place in the high desert of Santa Fe. The warm days and some recent rain caused the cactuses in the area to add some welcome color to the scenery. They decided to bloom in the most incredible saturated colors. This is only going to last for a very short period and I captured two of them in full bloom in the pictures below.
Just the other day I also received a friendly reminder that we are indeed living in the desert. Every afternoon at about 3pm-4pm the dogs get restless and I put them out into the fenced dog run. They stay there for one to two hours before it’s time for the evening walk. A few days ago I put them in the dog run and while refilling the water bowl out there I noticed some movement close by. Turned out that a bull snake was enjoying the afternoon sun.
I wasn’t sure what the dogs would do to the snake or what the snake would do with the dogs, so I decided to move the 2-3 ft long animal out of the fenced area.
With a long stick I held down the head of the snake while I grabbed the tail and lifted her up. Bad idea, because the animal was flexible enough and tried to bite my hand that was holding the tail. Dropped her and gave it another go with a differently shaped stick that would keep the head in place while grabbing the tail.
Hey, I’m just checking up on the latest with you and Candice. I love the new entries for Miss Maybe, Chaco Canyon and the Summer blooms. Miss you guys and wish we could see you soon.
Love,
Dana