Nature Archives – Page 6 of 12 – Strength Of The Small

Smoke From The Mountain

By JM PerezJuly 17, 20151 min read526 views

Most Fridays we drive down the Hill to get away from the High Desert heat. This morning however, we decided to stay put and visit a few nurseries. As we drove to Lowe’s early in the afternoon, we saw thick dark smoke rising over the mountain. We heard over the radio that a fast-moving wildfire was spreading through the Cajon Pass destroying vehicles and homes. At that moment I realized how lucky we were because had we not decided to stay in town, we most likely would have been trapped in a standstill traffic in the Cajon Pass.

Due to the strong winds, our beautiful sky turned gloomy within the hour. The sight was heartbreaking. We could see helicopters and air tankers dropping water on flames as well as fire retardant on nearby grass.

Summer is the peak season for wildfires and most of these fires are caused by careless individuals.

Unattended campfires
Burnt debris
Sparks (glass bottle, gunfire, fireworks, dragging chains, welding, weed cutter, etc)
Negligent cigarettes discard
Reckless acts of arson

Click here to learn about wildfire prevention.

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By JM Perez

Nature High Desert

Beautiful Foggy Morning

By JM PerezFebruary 4, 20151 min read803 views

I awoke to a beautiful foggy morning and even though it was quite cold outside, I grabbed my camera and headed out to capture the moment before it became just a memory.

*Morning Fog (view from the front yard).*

In the backyard on a large and bare Mulberry Tree, sat a lone bird.

A couple of hours later, the sun rose and everything was renewed.

Wishing you a wonderful day as you keep warm and stay busy.

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By JM Perez

Winter Holidays Birds Weather Nature High Desert

A Cold Winter

By JM PerezDecember 30, 20141 min read583 views

It’s been very cold lately in the High Desert and we are spending time enjoying the company of one another.

A couple of weeks ago, we woke up to a freezing morning fog.

A few days later I noticed the formation of thick clouds over the mountains, which rapidly turned into snow. It’s a breathtaking sight from my backyard.

I have enjoyed watching Hummingbirds feed from my kitchen window.

Finally, Snow began falling tonight. It’s been a year or two since the last Snowfall. This one comes as our end of year present from Mother Nature.

Happy Holidays and Stay Warm this Winter!

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By JM Perez

Nature High Desert

Still Pictures: Full Moon Rising

By JM PerezJuly 12, 20141 min read978 views

What an absolutely lovely Full Moon tonight. It was delightful watching it rise above the mountains.

“The faults of a superior person are like the sun and moon. They have their faults, and everyone sees them; they change and everyone looks up to them.” — Confucius

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By JM Perez

Reptiles Insects Nature Gardening High Desert

Breezy Sunday Afternoon

By JM PerezJune 22, 20141 min read625 views

What a lovely Sunday afternoon at Home with my Family. The days are getting hotter and the weather has been hectic lately. Walking around my backyard, I saw a few interesting things which brought a smile to my face.

As I sat on the swing, watching the wind blow and looking at some of my tallest plants wave back and forth in the breeze; one of the Allium Drumsticks stem got caught in between the legs of my King Frog garden stake and if I didn’t know any better, I would say Mr. Froggy was enjoying the moment. What an interesting sight.

Frog and Allium Drumstick. — *Frog and Allium Drumstick globe-shaped flowerhead.*

While watering the mini Rosebushes, a Desert Spiny Lizard emerged from underneath the plants, staring at me.

I spotted a set of Harlequin Bugs on my Dwarf Cup Flower ‘Purple Robe’ plants. These bugs, members of the stinkbug family, are very active during the Summer and destructive to cabbage, broccoli, radishes as well as some ornamental flowers. These bugs cause damages to plants by sucking the sap which in turn cause the plants to die. They have a high reproductive rate. For more information on this insect pest, click here.