Round Robin: Outside In

For the Round Robin Challenge: Inside Out, Outside In, I asked to see stuff outside that you would normally find inside, or stuff seen inside that you would expect to see outside. I have examples of both for you. This first post is of outside stuff seen inside. Namely, critters! From time to time, representatives of many species of Arizona wildlife find their way into the house, from black widows to geckos. For example:

This lizard turned up next to our bathroom scale on July 18th. I photographed him before catching him to release outside. We get lizards in the house fairly often.

This was in my tub on August 2nd. I thought for a moment that it was a centipede, but soon realized it was a caterpillar. I Googled "Arizona red caterpillar" and soon discovered it was a pipevine swallowtail butterfly - or would be someday.

But I couldn't let it stay in my bathtub! So I caught it and put ot on the bathroom windowsill, expecting it to crawl away. But no: it liked the edge of my window, and decided to stay.

The caterpillar changed color over the next few days, until it was fairly obviously a pupa or cocoon. On August 13th, I noticed a slit at the top. The butterfly had emerged! But where was it?

I gently lifted the Venetian blinds. Behind them, two pipevine swallowtails struggled to get a grip on the window, or escape outside, or both.

One of them quickly escaped. The other struggled a moment longer.

Finally it got hold of the edge of the window. Then it was gone. Oddly, I found a lizard on the ledge a few minutes later. It darted away when I pointed my camera at it.

Then last week, John told me there was a new pupa in the bedroom, over the air conditioner. I'm watching for further developments.

I'll have a second post in the few minutes. Meanwhile, check out the other Robins' entries:


Linking List
as of 8/25/2012, 3:05 PM

Karen - posted two entries!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/mavarin
@mavarin

Jeanette - Posted!
Net On The Net
http://netonthenet.blogspot.com

Jama - Posted!
Sweet Memories
http://mummyjam.blogspot.com

Sue - Posted!
A picture is worth 1000 words
http://susiesphotospace.blogspot.it/

Sinder Ella **Welcome, new participant!** - Posted!
"A Modern Day Cinderella"
http://sandysinderella.blogspot.com/

Rita - Posted!
Cashjocky and the "Old Salt"
http://cashjocky.blogspot.com/2012/08/inside-out-or-outside-in_25.html

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Karen

RRPC: Wildlife in the Wash

Note to self: having the dogs along is not conducive to getting good close-up shots of wild animals.

A curve-billed thrasher. Not a bunny.

But I tried. For this week's Round Robin Photo Challenge, "Wildlife," as suggested by Nancy of Nancy Luvs Pix, I originally intended to go into the mountains, or to Sabino Canyon; but I ran out of time. (I may yet do this later this weekend.) Instead, per John's suggestion, I took the dogs to the wash, and looked for bunnies there.

A Gambel's Quail hurries away. Not a bunny,
but as hard to photograph with dogs in tow.

Wait a sec, you may be saying. The wash?

Alamo Wash on Friday evening.

I never heard of this meaning for that word either, until we moved to Tucson in 1986. A wash is a river or creek bed that is dry most of the time, but fills up with water during storms, especially during the monsoon (rainy season). The other name for a wash is arroyo. The one nearest our house, the Alamo Wash, runs north and south through many Tucson neighborhoods, including a stretch between the athletic fields of Palo Verde High School and Terra del Sol Park. That's where I took the camera and the dogs on Friday afternoon. I should have brought fresh batteries for the camera as well.

Also not a bunny. Lizards are ubiquitous here, and nothing to fear.

I first took the dogs for a walk along the alley that edges Alamo Wash two weeks ago, on June 13th. The thrasher photo is from a few days after that. I wanted to find you something besides birds, because I've been photographing lots of birds lately and because I personally prefer mammals. In theory, our neighborhood has coyotes and desert cottontails, a smattering of bird species (mostly doves), lizards and various insects. This is a 50-year-old neighborhood in an established part of the city, so we can't expects bobcats or javalinas, chuckwallas or gila monsters. Still, the wash and the two alleyways that edge it, one on each side, are as close to nature as I'm likely to get without driving to the mountains. So that's where we went, up one alley and down the other. I did take the dogs briefly into the wash itself, but didn't like the footing given my history of sprained and broken ankles.

Look! A bunny! Technically it's a desert cottontail.

Even the desert creatures known to live in and around the Terra del Sol neighborhood are not too likely to turn up late on a Friday afternoon, They're especially unlikely to come in camera range of a woman with two dogs on leashes. At first it looked as though I wasn't going to see anything but doves and a few other birds. Ten minutes in, I actually said, "This isn't a happening thing, puppies. I don't think we're going to see any bunnies today. Oh! There's a bunny!"

The bunny was far away, and ran down the wash and up the other side to the other alley, taking refuge in the same place I saw one go ten days before. But I zoomed the camera where I thought he was, and got the photo you see above.

The alleyway immediately east of Alamo Wash

I've done much better with wildlife photos in the past. John and I got some great pictures of a wide variety of critters in our other house in the 1980s, in a much less domesticated neighborhood near the Tucson Mountains. I've also photographed rabbits and pronghorns in New Mexico, and lots of birds in Reid Park. But I didn't want to settle for Reid or reruns this time, so the photos above will have to do for now. I'll try to top them before the weekend is over. Meanwhile, let's take a look at the other Robins' wildlife photos!

Linking List

Nancy - Posted!
Nancy Luvs Pix
http://nancyluvspix.blogspot.com/

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com

Steven - Posted!
(sometimes)photoblog
http://www.sometimesphotoblog.com/

Monica
Shutterly Happy (new blog title)
http://monica-frameofmind.blogspot.com/

Jama - Posted!
Sweet Memories
http://mummyjam.blogspot.com

Molly Mavis - Posted!
Visual Dialogues
http://visualdialogues.wordpress.com

Peggy - Posted!
Holmespun Fun Memes and Themes (new blog)
http://holmespunfunmemesandthemes.blogspot.com

Vicki **Welcome, New Member** - Posted!
Beach Bum
http://2babb.blogspot.com

Connie - Posted!
Far Side of Fifty Photos
http://farsideoffiftyphotos.blogspot.com

Marina
Visual Chronicle
http://one-x-day.blogspot.com

Vicki
Maraca
http://mymaracas.blogspot.com/

Betty - Posted!
a corgi in southern california
http://acorgiinsoutherncalifornia.blogspot.com/

alexa - Posted!
imagination pounces
http://imaginationpounces.blogspot.com

Irene - Posted!
Notes from the Lion City
http://notesfromthelioncity.blogspot.com

Suzanne R - Posted!
SuzyQ421's Photo Blog
http://suzyq421sphotoblog.blogspot.com

Linda - Posted!
Linda's Window
http://lindaswindow.blogspot.com/

Terri
Ways I See the World
http://teelgeephotos.blogspot.com/

Sandra - Posted!
A Cappuccino a day
http://Acappuccinoaday.blogspot.com

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Jen - Posted!
Phun with Photography
http://phunwithphotography.blogspot.com/

Linda - Posted!
Mommy's Treasures
http://mommystreasures.blogspot.com/

I'll catch up with everyone after I've slept some more. See you later!

Karen

Mall Critters

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take a picture of something that's larger than life. From statues to stuffed animals, snap a shot of something super-sized.

A camera kids can crawl through

Hmm. If we're going to have pictures of oversized things, perhaps we should find an oversized camera, yes? Here we go, then!

Giant turtle and giant snake on the TMC playground

My first thought, other than a conviction that I have no access to giant rats or stuffed plush tarantulas. was the giant lumberjack (muffler man) on First or Stone Ave (whichever it is) at Blacklidge, near where I bought my Mercury Capri circa 1988. But that's too far away on a day as busy as I was today, and besides, practically every city has at least one of these, of one sort or another. So instead I stopped at Park Place Mall on the way home,--when I finally left the office, that is.

The lovely metallic lizard spits endlessly

I've taken pictures of all of these before, and posted some of them. My favorite from past shoots, by far the best of the lot, had a kid, maybe ten years old, sitting with her back to one of these wonderful sheet metal critters. I never got her name, or permission to use her likeness, so I pretty much keep it to myself. But it's a great photo, trust me.

I think that's a scrub jay on the left. On the right, erm, not sure.

All this whimsy is park of a children's play area in the food court, sponsored by a local hospital. The floor is padded, and no shoes are allowed. I'm not sure how the fountains fit into the scheme, but they're not deep enough to drown anyone.

Flashed out lizard and bronzed owl

I had trouble getting this shot. From one direction, the ceiling lights caused glare. From the other, I was too far away for the flash to be helpful, and the owl's face wasn't showing. But you get the idea.

Gonna try for an early night tonight. Catch you Tuesday night (Wednesday AM) with the new Round Robin Photo Challenge.

Karen

Technorati Tags: Monday Photo Shoot, Larger than life, Park Place, Critters, Tucson