A summer view from my Backyard

I live in the Sonoran desert.  While everyone is talking about Fall, it is still summer here.  The summers are hot and we get very little rain.  The one thing that breaks up our heat, and something I pray for.......is rain.  Here in the desert we get monsoons, that are huge, wonderful thunderstorms.  I would do rain dances if I knew how!

These pictures were taken in the morning after a night of rain.  I love how you can see the rain drops still on our Agave.

 

 

 Take a close look at this little guy-

 

 

 This is a Cicada skin.  The detail is amazing.  Do you have these where you live?  Even if you haven't seen them, you have heard them! 

 

(My husband hates them because they only come out when it is hot, and you always know when the heat is coming when transitioning from Spring to Summer.)

 

I think the larvae (grubs) have invaded my garden. 

 

Any suggestions on how to safely get rid of grubs from your garden?  There are no plants right now.  It is way too hot!  But, I want to plant my winter garden next month and need to get these guys out of there!  (No, I don't have any chickens!)

 

 

 And this old guy is Cruiser, our only "pet". 

He is a Sonoran Desert Tortoise. 

 

We adopted him from my Aunt and Uncle.  You can't take these guys from the wild, but once they have been in captivity you can't release them back to the wild.  We estimate him to be 60 - 70 years old.  I call him "grumpy old man."  He is friendly, but he has one thing on his mind - FOOD!  If we don't have food and he is out, he heads to his underground den to keep cool.  They hibernate 6 months of the year, so they are a fairly low maintenance friend.

 

Sonoran Desert Tortioses can only be adopted not bought.  For more information and find out about adopting a tortoise, or learning more about them you can visit The Sonoran Desert Museum's Tortoise Adoption Program on-line to learn more.

 

What is in your backyard?