Category Archives: Ars gratia Artis

Mallard on the Rocks

While fishing at Lake Pleasant in Arizona, this mallard came to visit. We’d seen him with his mate many times before, swimming in the distance. This was the first time either had floated close to shore let alone hopped up on a rock to be photographed. I was delighted and honored.

Buckthorn Cholla

The Buckthorn Cactus, botanically known as Cylindropuntia acanthocarpia, is a native of the Sonoran Desert. It’s flowers are yellow or red with shades in between that bloom in spring. The cane-like stalks are covered with thorns and grow in tangled clumps in dry, arid landscape. The flowers are quite showy and bees love ’em.

wild Burros of Maricopa County

When we go fishing at Lake Pleasant in Maricopa County, AZ, we sometimes see some of the burros that live in the surrounding hills and gorges. They’re skinny little creatures but they go and do what they like, a condition of being feral. Desert Life suits them.

Desert Life

We go for walks in the desert. Now that spring is warming everything up, all types of desert inhabitants start to appear. Heat loving cactus are blooming, cold-blooded lizards bask in the sun and rabbits forage fallen seeds. I love the desert.

Sea Holly – Aryngium planar

A couple months ago, I got a bunch of Sea Holly from Trader Joe’s with the intention of painting the whole thing. Time went by, the flowers dried, wilted and I threw them out, saving this one blossom to paint. Here it is, still thistley blue, green and grey. I planted these in the yardContinue reading “Sea Holly – Aryngium planar”

Largemouth Bass

Caught in Arizona, this bass bass looks a lot different in color than those we’ve taken in New York. Other features such as the dorsal fins are atypical of what is found in Largemouth Bass. Perhaps this is a hybrid. At any rate, it was caught in Lake Pleasant, AZ. We’ll have to see ifContinue reading “Largemouth Bass”