Stunning. Awesome. Spectacular. Spiritual. Renewing.
Just some of the words to describe the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeast Arizona (and home of the Chiricahua National Monument). The Chiricahua Mountains are the result of an immense volcanic eruption that shook the region some 27 million years ago. The thick white-hot ash spewed forth from the nearby Turkey Creek Caldera, cooled and hardened into rhyolite tufts, laying down almost two thousand feet of dark volcanic ash and pumice, which eventually eroded into the pinnacles, spires, and hoodoos we see today. During the 1860's and 1870's, the Chiricahua Mountains provided a refuge for Geronimo and his band of Apaches.
The National Monument is on the West Side of the Mountain Range (and Echo Canyon Trail, one of the most beautiful trails I have ever taken). A dirt road then takes you over the top of the mountains to the east side where Cave Creek lies. South Fork Cave Creek is considered one of the most bio-diverse regions in North America.
Arizona Thistles were in full bloom yesterday in the Chiricahuas. And, as I was arriving into Cave Creek I saw a large Tiger Swallowtail going from thistle to thistle. So I placed myself near one of those thistles waiting for his visit. Sure enough he came and I got some nice photos. However, what I didn't expect -- and which was a wonderful surprise -- was that a few seconds later a Blue Throated Hummingbird came and chased the Swallowtail away and started feeding on the thistle himself. The Blue Throat has the largest wingspan of any hummingbird in North America. It's range extends from Mexico only into the most southern mountains of southern Arizona. (Nowhere else in the US). Below you will see first the Swallowtail, then both the Swallowtail and Hummingbird, then the Hummingbird feeding, and finally, the hummingbird in a tree:
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| Tiger Swallowtail |
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| Tiger Swallowtail - Blue Throated Hummingbird |
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| Blue Throated Hummingbird |
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| Blue Throated Hummingbird |
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| Blue Throated Hummingbird |
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| Blue Throated Hummingbird |
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| Blue Throated Hummingbird |
