Fat Chance

Monsoon sky.

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White-winged dove / paloma alas blancas (Zenaida asiatica) at San Pedro House, Cochise County, Arizona.

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Etymology note: Undecimpunctata is literally eleven-spotted, referring to the black markings on the beetle's elytra. You can count 'em if you can get these guys to slow down. They're all there.

Blue grosbeak / picogordo azul (Passerina caerulea) at San Pedro House, Cochise County, Arizona.

Male Arizona blonde tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes), on the trail at San Pedro House, Cochise County, Arizona. This was the largest tarantula I've seen here, with a body length of almost 4 cm (1.5 inches) and a 12 cm leg span. Once the annual monsoon arrives males begin rambling in search of sedentary females.

Puddle season.

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From You Are Here by David Nichols, 2024.

A convoluted etymology note: Clouded crimsons are members of the Noctuidae moth family. The name is derived from the little owl of Europe, Asia, and North Africa (Athene noctua), which is the owl associated with the Greek goddess Athena, the patroness deity of the city-state of Athens. The city's emblem was the little owl, and to strengthen the symbolic connection, Athena is typically represented wearing a Corinthian helmet with an owl perched on top. ("Good lord," you are asking, "what does this have to do with moths?") In turn, the moth family of over 30,000 identified species are called owlet moths after Athena's little owl, because of their nocturnal habits and their large owl-like eyes. There are archetypes and primordial patterns of thought and shared experience coded and embedded in the names of the simplest and most commonplace things we encounter. Think of that the next time you brush away a moth that is fluttering around your phone when you are scrolling in the dark.

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Leafhopper assassin bug (Zelus renardii) at the Sierra Vista Community Garden.

In Garden Wash near San Pedro House, Cochise County, Arizona.

The American Ornithological Society is (presumably) still planning to re-designate birds that are stuck with names honoring historical figures, though their procrastination and dithering have gone on far too long. Proposed common names for this bird include white-cheeked kingbird, and vociferous kingbird, which is my preference. If you ever encounter this bird in the desert grasslands of Arizona its raucous calls are memorably impressive.

Baby rock squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus) nibbling mesquite beans, and nuzzling mom. At San Pedro House, Cochise County, Arizona.

Where I walked.