Desert Notes: Eastwood’s Monkeyflower

Robin Patten Photos by Robin Patten. The alcove was shallow, though its back wall was shaded, seeping with enough moisture to support a modest hanging garden. With autumn taking hold, most of the plants had decayed into crumpled leaves and drooping stems, yet within the brown was a bit of green and a flame of … Continue reading Desert Notes: Eastwood’s Monkeyflower

Desert Notes: Mountain Lion Refugia

Morning coolness lingered in the side canyon, the heat of summer yet to reach into the depths. I walked the dry wash along the canyon bottom, watching the cliffs for the wrens chittering somewhere above, looking down only to secure my way – and so the mule deer head startled me, lying in my path, upside down below a cottonwood tree.