Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Photos by Arizona wildlife photographer and bunny wrangler, Denny Green.

An Oasis in the Desert - Singh Farm

Want to escape the valley's ever-expanding heat island without even leaving the valley?  Head over to Singh Farm, right at Thomas and the 101 freeway!  Its a magical oasis in the desert created by Ken and Lee Singh.  With enchanting paths that let you meander through their shady organic farm, you will feel like you just stepped into a fairy kingdom.  The first thing you'll hear is the chatter of Peach-faced Lovebirds, followed by the joyful chirping of Lesser Goldfinches as they happily munch away on the huge stands of sunflowers.  Everywhere you look there are enchanting views, unexpected wonders, and magical surprises.

Singh Farm is only open to the public two days a week when they set up their farmer's market, from 9 to 1 on Fridays, and 8 to 1 on Saturdays.  The farm closes the entire month of August and re-opens in September, and the hours change with the seasons, so be sure to check their Facebook page for up-to-date information.

The farm's outdoor adobe oven gets fired up each Saturday, when one of several chefs in the valley come out and create delectable dishes using fresh produce from the farm.  Last Saturday's fare featured cold watermelon soup, hand-made tortillas layered with caramelized green and new onions and squash, topped with fresh baby greens, and a side of baba ganoush.  Simple, yet decadently delicious!  They also had fresh-grilled ears of sweet corn, and fresh-squeezed lemonade.

The Singh's farmer's market sells organic produce grown from heirloom seeds, honey, tea, oven-fresh breads, mesquite flour, farm-made jellies (I bought lemon-verbena) candied ginger, home-made granola, apple butter, and fresh-picked herbs.  You can even buy their magical mulch to use in your own garden.  If you're lucky, the big tall Irish tree guy will be there selling Shamus O'Leary's Tropical Exotic plants such as Sapote, Starfruit, Jasmines, Neem, and Cherimoya!   (I bought a fig tree, and plumeria!).

Click on image below to view slide-show:

Wordless Wednesday

Photos by bird photographer extraordinaire Jeff Stemshorn

Going Batty!

Photo by Peggy Coleman, June, 2012.

Did you know that 2012 is the Year of the Bat?  Just look and see how many batty things are going on in Arizona this summer:

Arizona Audubon Center - Birds n' Beer (this month its Bats n Beer) this Thursday, June 21st from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.:  Drop into the Audubon Center after work for a brew and learn a thing or two about bats. This month it Bats of Arizona with Bill Burger from the Arizona Game and Fish Department.  Did you know there are 28 species of bats in Arizona and over 1000 worldwide?  Location: Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center at 3131 S Central Ave., Phoenix. RSVP at Audubon's Facebook page www.facebook.com/audubonaz  or via email: vramos@audubon.org

Arizona Game and Fish Department's
award-winning Bat Poster.

Meet the Bats at Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, June 23rd 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and The Exciting Night Life of Bats! at 7:00 p.m.:  Wildlife biologist Debbie Buecher and bat biologist Dr. Ronnie Sidner are joined by some of their “batty” friends in a free ranging presentation that introduces visitors to several of Arizona’s resident bat species. They will share amazing facts about bat habits and habitat and shatter some long held myths and misconceptions. Then at 7:00 p.m. conservation biologist Karen Krebbs gives a presentation detailing her recent research, in particular that being conducted on the grounds of TohonoChul, and shares stories about these beneficial mammals of the night skies. As a special treat, Krebbs will bring along one of her research subjects and take the audience outside to listen for some of the local bat chatter!  Location: Tohono Chul Park, Tucson

Bat Night at Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson, August 4th at 7:00 p.m.:  Bat Biologist Karen Krebbs will talk about these unique and fascinating mammals of the evening skies and present a live bat at the end of the lecture. Lecture times are 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. and the program is free with Summer Saturday Evening's admission. Bat acoustic equipment will be set up outside of the Coati Exhibit from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to listen to calls of free-flying bats as they navigate through the night.  Location:  Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson.

All About Bats at Usery Mountain Regional Park, August 10th at 12:00 p.m.:  What makes bats such fascinating creatures? What do they do in the dark? What are the different kinds of bats that live in this area? If you would like to know the answers to these questions, or any questions you may have about bats, then this one-hour presentation is for you! Bring your sandwich to the “Brown-Bag It” series inside the Nature Center as Ranger B shares some amazing facts about these mysterious mammals. Location: Usery Mountain Park Nature Center, Mesa. $6.00 per car.

Phoenix Bat Caves: It can be hit or miss, but during the hot summer months you can often see one of Phoenix’s largest urban bat roosts in action right here in the middle of town.  This is an amazing sight to see!  At sunset thousands of Mexican free-tail bats emerge from the "Phoenix Bat Cave" near the Biltmore to forage on mosquitoes.  There are so many bats that it is nearly a steady stream lasting for a good twenty minutes. The Phoenix Bat Cave is really a 7 mile long underground tunnel which is part of a Maricopa County Flood Control ditch.  A good viewing spot is at the southwest corner of 24th Street and Biltmore Circle, just south of Lincoln.  If you go, park at at the commercial building located at 2400 W. Arizona Biltmore Circle. The building is on the northeast corner of 24th Street and Arizona Biltmore Circle, just south of Lincoln Dr. The viewing area is on the southwest corner of that intersection, south of the Squaw Peak Police Precinct. 

More Bat Resources :

Sonoran Desert Museum Bat Fact Sheet for Kids

AZGFD Very Cool Bat Poster

Bat Conservation and Management

 

Lead photo courtesy of nature photographer Peggy Coleman. 
You can now order prints of her gorgeous work online at
Peggy Coleman Photography!

Wordless Wednesday

Photos by Arizona wildlife photographer and toad rescuer, Denny Green

Learn About Arizona's Wild Horses

Horses along the Salt River, May, 2012.  Photo by LuAnne Hedblom

If you're interested in learning more about our wild horses in Arizona, then pack up your lunch on Thursday, June 14th or on Saturday June 30th, and head on over at noon to the Visitor Center at Usery Mountain Park.  There "Ranger B" will be sharing what he knows of the history of wild horses in the west, including the Tonto National Forest, and in particular the horses we see along the Salt River. Though he won't be touching on the controversy over the management of the Salt River Wild Horses, it will still be interesting to learn about the origins of these gorgeous animals and how they survive in the wild. Directions: Take McKellips east past Sossaman to Ellsworth, turn left (N) on Ellsworth which becomes Usery Mountain Pass.  Look for signs, park entry will be on your right (E).  $6.00 entry fee.  Lecture starts at 12:00 p.m. in the Visitor Center.

For a more in-depth history of wild horses in Arizona and the southwest, see University of Arizona professor Ed de Steiguer's book , "Wild Horses of the West: History and Politics of America's Mustangs."

(Usery Mountain Park is one of 10 regional parks in Maricopa County.  It is not part of the Tonto National Forest, and Ranger B is not an employee of the Forest Service or the BLM.)