White-winged Dove

up on a saguaro cactus:

In the last picture, the dove is not alone:

Click the picture to enlarge and find another bird who loves saguaro fruit. :)

I hope your day is sweet and easy!

Saguaro Hearts

Saguaros keep on giving. After the cactus is done blooming, the fruit starts to look like tiny watermelons. Then the fruit splits open into flower or heart shapes depending on how you look at them.

Sometimes the entrance to a bird nest in a saguaro appears heart shaped.

Here's a random heart on a decaying saguaro boot.  A saguaro boot is the woody plant tissue of the saguaro nest cavity which remains long after the cactus dies.

It's hard to see, but after I uploaded the picture, I saw a tiny heart above the heart shaped cutout on the edge of the boot.

It's fun to discover random hearts!  See more hearts at Clytie's Random Hearts.

Sweetness

 

It's time for the ripe saguaro cactus fruit to split open allowing birds to feast on the juicy pulp and dark seeds inside.

The desert looks and smells as if the saguaros are blooming all over again, this time in rich shades of red rather than white.

Red ripe saguaro fruits are a sign that the rainy season will begin soon.  Moisture is always welcome in the desert.

June Sky Snapshots

Just a typical early morning stroll to see what's happening in the desert:

 Looking east at 6:00AM, sunlight starts streaming into the canyon

 6:45AM an agave welcomes the warm morning sun

 Bees love agaves

 Heading south at 7:00AM past the waving saguaro

 This cactus still has sweet smelling blossoms

Mr. Quail calls, "Chi-CA-go-go" over and over.

See more sky pictures from around the world at Skywatch Friday, hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.