Finally, a cool morning so we decided to go waking in Tucson Mountain Park. We only walked two miles since I am not supposed to sweat for a few more days because of my skin graft and the trail started getting steep. It was still early and decided to take a drive in Saguaro National Park. We noticed signs for an open house at the Desert Discovery Center, made a u-turn to check it out.
Gila Woodpecker
I have never seen such a dense population of ocotillos. So many are ready to bloom that we need to return later this week to see them.
I told Mike that that stick looks like a snake. He said it is a gopher snake. Ok, it was a snake that looks like a stick.
Once we got to the Desert Discovery Center, they were bringing out a Gila Monster.
We rubbed his cool belly even though they are venomous.
This King snake (nonvenomous) looks like a cobra snake (venomous) with a white on his head to differentiate them. I did not rub his belly.
We took a great geology hike.
Trilobite fossil
Fruit from the cholla cactus.
Must be the cousin to the gopher snake we saw on the trail.
That was a nice way to spend another day here in the Sonoran Desert.
The Desert Discovery Center looks interesting -- have to put that on our list for the next time we're in Tucson. The patterns on the Gila monster and the king snake are so beautiful -- and that gopher snake definitely looked like a stick!
ReplyDeleteThey only open for special events but a good way to spend the day.
DeleteSnakes are one thing I wonder about when hiking with my hounds in the SW. Granted I can visit during different seasons but I still wonder what their response would be if we walked into a snake unexpectedly. I've heard it's about a $3,000 vet bill for emergency snake bit treatment on a dog. Great photos once again.
ReplyDeleteThey have training for dogs so they will be afraid of snakes to avoid them. Big business in the desert.
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