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Notes from the Lake

I have a few picures to share that I have been taking around the campground the last day or two. These first three are of the little cacti I found blooming happily amidst all the dry grass. Isn't the colour of these blossoms wonderful?
I came across them when I was mowing - I have to keep a close eye on the ground to avoid rocks and small hazards for the sake of my mower blades. Good thing - or I would have missed these little beauties.

The first two pictures were taken from above so the entire blossom showed in all its glorious colour but this one is from the side and you can see them sprouting out from the top of the cacti. It is easy to not notice them so they are always kind of a special treat when you find them.


This little guy is, as far as I know, a type of ground squirrel - what we commonly call "gophers" here. Usually though they are a solid colour so my husband and I were quite taken with this little fellow and his unusual markings. We have christened him "Southwest" because my husband says his markings remind him of the southwest style. He is cute, isn't he?



Comments

Christy Amular said…
I love the stark contrast of the juicy cacti blooms against the dry parched grass. Life triumphs always!
June 20, 2009 at 7:22 AM
gocrazywithme said…
What a cute little neighbor you have! Looks like he has racing stripes.
June 20, 2009 at 9:00 PM
CJ STITCHING AND BLOOMS said…
Hello Kerry, He is definitely an unusual wee guy. He must be a Canadian version of our gophers. vbg Nice to see the wildlife of other parts of the country. Hope your summer is going well. Hugs Judy
June 23, 2009 at 3:22 AM
Lisa Boni said…
I believe this little guy is Thirteen Striped Ground Squirrel. We had lots of them around our home in rural Colorado when I was growing up!
July 1, 2009 at 9:51 PM
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