The Desert

I never tire of the desert, its spaciousness, its vistas, and the mystery of life that survives in it.  This evening, a solitary quail sat in a mesquite tree calling out in a plaintive voice, a sharp, touching cry.  You seldom see a lone quail—they are usually in little flocks scurrying across the desert floor.  I don’t know if this bird had become separated from its flock and was calling out for it, or if something unfortunate had happened to its covey and it was crying out in distress.  As I walked away, it continued its insistent call.  Perhaps it was simply looking for a mate.

Every day there are new things to discover.  Eagle’s claw (Turk’s head) cacti are usually solitary

but today I found this little cluster.

The Texas rainbow cacti have finished blooming and are now making fruit that is slowly being eaten by birds, and perhaps small rodents as well.