Hummingbird aviary...

One of the cool places at the Desert Museum. Again, I had to learn to just stand still and wait and watch. These guys were fast and SO much smaller than I imagined!
The last 2 shots are actually the same bird. He would occasionally "light up" like this and show us his fluorescent neck. At one point, I was standing next to an official museum photographer with her fancy equipment. :) It was obvious she does a LOT of waiting. Guess you have to be patient to be a wildlife photographer! Would love to see what she got that day...

Sonora Desert Museum, pt. 6...

Kara could have spent all day watching the bobcats! :)

Sonora Desert Museum, pt. 5...

Prairie dogs probably rank right up there with squirrels for Lisa, but I found them entertaining...Some do not play well with others! :)

Sonora Desert Museum, pt. 4...

I really enjoy shooting birds. Just wish I had a longer zoom to do them justice. Don't want to pay the money or hold the heavy thing tho', so that's not gonna happen. One of these days, I should get a natural looking bird feeder for our front yard. At any rate, I had forgotten how much I love native Arizona birds...

The adorable cactus wren...thought he was SO funny, climbing this century plant...

Sonora Desert Museum, pt. 3...

So strange to see everyone bundled too! Thought it was hilarious that they gave us coupons for free hot chocolate at the admission counter!

And Hannah looks like she's auditioning for the part of the Michilen Man. :) Her little hands and feet were red and COLD!

Had to take at least one landscape of the Tucson mountain range west of town....love the pastels.
Must complain one more time about the weather tho'....I really wanted to shoot some desert silhouettes, but didn't see a single sunset. Ironically, a few days after we returned, a friend posted gorgeous sunset pics from Dallas. Somehow, I missed that opportunity too! :(

Sonora Desert Museum, pt. 2...

The museum is really just a desert version of the arboretum and zoo. It's mostly walking trails. I'd rather shoot flowers than cactus, but had to try at least a few. Lame compared to Kim's! :)

Barrel cactus with fruit. Believe it or not, people make jelly from that...

Teddy bear cactus...looks kinda soft and fuzzy...but it's not! :) And geesh...this stuff sticks to your clothes!

Love desert wildflowers, but only found these 2...

Cool stones at the entrance...think the turquoise is raw copper. Looks like abstract art.

Strange to see things covered because of the cold. So not what I'm used to!

Yep, lots of walking!

Sonora Desert Museum, pt. 1...

It was still cold but at least stopped raining, so we braved it for a day outdoors. I hadn't been to the museum since Jenny was about 18 mo. old, so I thoroughly enjoyed myself. After all those miles in the car, it was good to walk around! The animals were fairly active....could be they liked the cooler weather. First we headed to Raptor Free Flight...missed some of that show, but did enjoy this cool hawk.

I could take or leave reptiles, but Bob loves snakes....so for him....the western diamond back rattler.

More family...

Next stop....dinner with Mom. After that, to the library she reserved at the retirement home for our family. We had a great time visiting! Hard place for pics tho'....dimly lit with terracotta walls that gave off a weird color cast. Loved being with my sister Ann Marie and her son David....

and our cousin Tom...

Tom's family...missed getting Marti in this shot!

Had to get everyone together for one group pic! And yes, I replaced a few heads in Photoshop. (You know who you are, eye closers!) Wish we'd gathered Bob's family for a group pic too, but it was a more chaotic day with lots of little children...I wasn't feeling that adventuresome!

Finally....here's Hannah's commentary about family:

(In case you can't read her shirt, it says "Are these people REALLY my relatives?") That's right Hannah! We're a pretty weird fun bunch!

Butterfly Magic, pt. 4

Heliconious Erato...oh yes, be impressed! :) Love these shots! Could be because I love ferns...
It was extremely hot/humid in the greenhouse! Probably close to 90 degrees...and we were bundled up for cold weather outdoors. Hannah wasn't thrilled with things flying about her head either, so Jenny and Nathan took turns sitting with her by the exit. Here she is, giving us her "how many more minutes" face. :)
Was amused that she had to get a butterfly stamp on her hand when she entered, even tho' babies are free. What was that about? Took 2 days to wash off too! :)
And finally....two of my all time favorite butterflies! It was great spending time with Jean! All in all... a FUN morning!

Butterfly Magic, pt. 3...

Some were sadly tattered. Was curious about that and did a little research. Apparently, that's common...and get this....butterflies can still fly with as much as 75% of their wings missing! They're not as fragile as they seem. They don't live long tho'. Average life span? 1-2 weeks...

Loved this Green Birdwing....but wow....It's seen better days!

This Glasswing was probably the most unusual....A tiny thing with completely transparent wings! Would love to see Kim shoot this with her new macro!
We saw the release of a newly emerged Lace Wing......Love its delicate markings...

Butterfly Magic, pt. 2...

Kara attracted a couple "hitchhikers"! This Owl butterfly stayed on her for at least 15 min. She walked gingerly for a while, but no need....he had no intention of getting off! :) No wonder the workers whisk everyone with fluffy dusters when they leave! Don't want anyone escaping!

Later this Paper Kite joined her....crawled all over her head!

He got on mine for a minute too. Felt kinda creepy cool! A hair accessory...

Beautiful in a more natural setting...

Changed to my portrait lens for a while and, after waiting for it to defog, caught this Golden Helicon. Know you're impressed with my research. :) Love the shallower DOF, but really needed the zoom for speedy subjects.
Couldn't find the name of this one :( ...just know it's some kind of swallowtail. Not my favorite, but still kinda cool...definitely unique.

Butterfly Magic, Pt. 1...

We had plans for the Desert Museum, but opted for the indoor Butterfly Magic exhibit at the Botanical Gardens instead. Speedy things and I couldn't get a fast enough shutter speed. Took a ton of pics and still never got any that do justice to God's beautiful creatures. When we first got there, I was too intent on chasing my subjects. There were more shooting opportunities when I finally stood still. :) Must learn patience!

The ones I loved most were the Blue Morphos. They're bigger than some and their colors so vibrant...almost fluorescent.
Even beautiful with wings closed! Notice the friend riding piggy back. :)
There's not much skill involved in capturing feeding butterflies, but I thought they posed nicely...especially the upside down one, doin' tricks for us! :)
Disappointed I couldn't find the name of this one, but love the contrast with the red.

Will post more over the next few days. Was amazed at the variety we saw! There's no end to God's imagination...