I love the rabbit!
And a different red-tailed hawk on one last power pole, this one near Ranchita
A red-tailed hawk on yet another power pole
A European Starling on top of another power pole
Red shouldered hawk on a power pole
A northern harrier glides over borrego springs.
Hoping to get a better shot, I circled the valley a few times, but never saw it again.
A side view of the black harvester anthill, showing its elevation.
A closer look at the harvester ants at the entrance to an anthill. Note the wide variety in sizes - for example, just left of the tunnel opening, a very small harvester ant crawls on top of another ant more than twice its size.
A perfect ring of litter surrounding a harvester anthill.
Desert sand verbena Abronia villosa
Leaves on the Dyeweed (Emory's indigo) bush Psorothamnus emoryi. The name 'dyeweed' comes from the persistent iodine color that stains your fingers if you damage a leaf.
Close-up of flower on a Dyeweed (Emory's indigo) bush Psorothamnus emoryi
Dyeweed (Emory's indigo) bush Psorothamnus emoryi
Catclaw Leaflet Gall Midge creates these purple growths
This Orcutt's woody aster Xylorhiza orcuttii was pointed out as having unusually white petals.
This Orcutt's woody aster Xylorhiza orcuttii was pointed out as having unusually white petals.
Skeleton Weed Eriogonum deflexum var. deflexum
A much tougher rock, which showed very different color on its flat face than on its outer surface.
An extremely brittle rock, which could be easily broken into fragments by hand.
Vulcan Mountan's radio transmitter pokes up above mountains in the distance behind a near ridge of Coachwhip Canyon, lined with Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens ssp. splendens and other plants.
Playing with the tone mapping highlights the shape of the bottom of these storm clouds as they pass over the Laguna Mountains towards Anza-Borrego Desert
Stormclouds roil beyond an Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens ssp. splendens lined ridge.
Panorama of Coachwhip Canyon from a peak at the end of the wash.
An ocotillo emerges from behind a boulder
A forest of Cryptantha leaves sprout among small rocks
Wider view of a Desert Lantern Eremothera boothii ssp. condensata, showing its rosette of leaves spread out around its base.
Desert Lantern Eremothera boothii ssp. condensata
Desert holly Atriplex hymenelytra flower buds
Desert holly Atriplex hymenelytra
Top-down view of a Rush Milkweed (Ajamete) Asclepias subulata flower
Close-up of a Rush Milkweed (Ajamete) Asclepias subulata flower.
Close-up of an aphid sucking sap from the Rush Milkweed (Ajamete) Asclepias subulata
Aphids cluster around Rush Milkweed (Ajamete) Asclepias subulata flowers.
This milkweed is one of 3 possible origins for the name of the canyon, with its long curved stem said to look like a buggy coach's horse whip. The others are the coachwhip snake, and the ocotillo which once counted 'coachwhip' among its common names.
Rush Milkweed (Ajamete) Asclepias subulata behind a few Brittlebushes Encelia farinosa
Smoke tree Psorothamnus spinosus
Holes left in the canyon walls, probably by large rocks falling out and later smoothed by wind.
Big galleta grass Hilaria rigida
White rhatany Krameria bicolor bush with dozens of little flowers.
Seed pod of a White rhatany Krameria bicolor, with its grappling-hook tips.
An open flower on a Schott's indigo bush Psorothamnus schottii, with its bright orange pollen
Schott's indigo bush Psorothamnus schottii
Close-up of Spanish needle Palafoxia arida var. arida
Probably Silver cholla Cylindropuntia echinocarpa
Spanish needle Palafoxia arida var. arida
A slightly more mature fruit on an Schott's indigo bush Psorothamnus schottii.
The latin-ish name "Psorothamnus" seems to refer to these scabies-like scales that cover the fruits on this species.
Schott's indigo bush Psorothamnus schottii
The surrounding burrs revealed by a close-up of the flowers on the Burro bush Ambrosia dumosa elucidates why it is also called "white burr sage".
Dyeweed (Emory indigo) bush Psorothamnus emoryi
buetiful
It's a House Finch