Wait! That's not right. We didn't see any lions or tigers, but we did see one heck of a spider! I took a day trip out to the
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum on Sunday, hoping to find some Fall color. Well, I didn't find any color, but I did find a few surprises. First, there were numerous butterflies and hummingbirds flitting about due to the plethora of flowers in the aptly named "Hummingbird Garden." Then, I stumbled across a beautiful garden spider. He (or she) was absolutely huge! In order to get the close-up shot, I had to stick my lens about 1" from the spider. I was sure it was going to scramble up its web, but it stayed put and allowed me to get my shot. Later, after hiking the high trail, I stopped in the "Aussie Walk-about" and took some pictures of a decaying
Power Wagon. Man, I would love to restore that thing. I'm guessing it's a late 40's or early 50's model, but it could even be a 60's model as they didn't change a whole lot after the war. Finally, we headed home, but while doing so we noticed a large cave-like hole in the side of one of the mountains within the Superstition range. My daughter was pretty sure it contains an old Native American cliff dwelling. Well, I did a bit of Internet research, and concluded that it might be the
Rogers Canyon Cliff Dwelling, but I'm not quite sure. Anyway, after reading about this ancient (600 year old) ruin, I'm determined to hike to it before summer comes around again.
There were several old world rose bushes in the garden. I captured this image of a large fly who was hanging onto the underside of the flower. I'm not sure, but it appears that his left (compound) eye is reflecting the underside of the rose. Click the picture to see it at full size.
Here's a little Painted Lady. We see large numbers of these little beauties in our own backyard.
This beauty is a Pipevine Swallowtail. Unfortunately, of the several specimans flying around, none of them would hold still long enough to get a decent shot, but at least this picture captures its beautiful blue coloration. And yes, the orange flower it is sitting on is
really that orange!
A glorious (not to mention, very large) female Banded Argiope (
Argiope Trifasciata) spider. I've not seen one quite this big before. I estimate her body was at least 1.5 inches in length.
Ah, the old Power Wagon, complete with a lucky horseshoe.
I love the color, it's my favorite. :)
There were several old world rose bushes in the garden. I captured this image of a large fly who was hanging onto the underside of the flower. I'm not sure, but it appears that his left (compound) eye is reflecting the underside of the rose. Click the picture to see it at full size.
Here's a little Painted Lady. We see large numbers of these little beauties in our own backyard.
This beauty is a Pipevine Swallowtail. Unfortunately, of the several specimans flying around, none of them would hold still long enough to get a decent shot, but at least this picture captures its beautiful blue coloration. And yes, the orange flower it is sitting on is really that orange!
A glorious (not to mention, very large) female Banded Argiope (Argiope Trifasciata) spider. I've not seen one quite this big before. I estimate her body was at least 1.5 inches in length.
Ah, the old Power Wagon, complete with a lucky horseshoe.
I love the color, it's my favorite. :)
