Photo by Claudia Pinto If you think that all dinosaurs became extinct with a massive asteroid strike approximately 65 million years ago, you might just be wrong. Birds are often considered living dinosaurs, feathers being evolutionary holdovers from these famous saurians. Today, no species seems to epitomize this ancient link more than the roadrunner. April […]
Vince Pinto
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Nature Journeys: March of the Winds
If there is a singular force of nature that defines March in the Sky Islands, then it must be wind. Anyone who has literally weathered the local vagaries of March’s meteorology knows the mercurial nature of both this month’s temperatures and winds. On March 20, winter turns to spring during the vernal equinox. This month […]
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Nature Journeys: Rock Solid!
Photo by Vince Pinto In the dead center of a dry, desiccated, and somewhat desolate winter there is always one thing we can rely upon to pique the naturalist in each of us – rocks! With wildlife populations diminished by drought and our local flora seeming little more than a motley collection of half-alive trees […]
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Nature Journeys: Migrating Mountaineers
The author took this photo of an elegant trogon at Raven’s Nest Nature Sanctuary. Winter arrived December 21 on an unseasonably balmy day. Even with a warmer and drier projection for weather this season we will still undoubtedly experience our fair share of frigid temperatures. A 70 degree day in Patagonia can often be accompanied by […]
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Nature Journeys: Deadly Desertification
The word desert may conjure images of the Sahara’s seemingly endless dunes or perhaps a Lawrence of Arabia-like, otherworldly landscape. Here in Arizona we boast parts of four deserts, winning us the prize for the most types in any U.S. state. Each of our deserts hosts a wealth of wildlife and plants, when left unmolested […]
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Nature Journeys: Sensational Succulents
Last night I dreamt of rain, suspecting upon awakening that I was not alone in this fruitless endeavor. We are in an exceptional drought. Clouds, let alone rain, seem like a mere mirage of the mind now. Still, anyone with a keen eye can find a whole host of species that thrive despite drought conditions. […]
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Nature Journeys: Ecological Decay
My scientific observations in Arizona date back to 1987 when I was a wildlife researcher for New Mexico State University. Based in the Peloncillo Mountains of New Mexico and Arizona, I was introduced firsthand to the biodiversity of the Sky Islands. The broad spectrum of flora and fauna that populated those remote mountains truly belied […]
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Nature Journeys: Bizarre, Beautiful and Bountiful Beetles
A metallic wood-boring beetle. Photo by Vince Pinto The insect order Coleoptera, the beetles, dominates Earth’s biodiversity. Approximately one out of every three animal species is a beetle and about one out of every four species – including all plants, animals, and fungi – is a beetle. The preponderance of these small, often-armored insects led […]
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Nature’s Journeys: Tropical Travelers
A blackened bluewing butterfly was a winter visitor near Lake Patagonia. Photo by Vince Pinto Sitting at approximately 32 degrees north latitude, the Patagonia area lies at the verge of the American subtropics. Follow this imaginary line around the globe and you’ll wind up in such exotic locales as North Africa, Iran, and northern India […]
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Nature Journeys: Bountiful Spring!
A painted lady butterfly feeds on the nectar of a papago lily. Photo by Vince Pinto After a relative hiatus of some years, spring has made a phenomenal comeback. This year’s abundance is to be celebrated, as any seasoned Arizonan well knows. While monsoon floral displays tend to be quite consistent, those of spring are […]