On Thursday, January 2, we had an adult male Hooded Oriole show up at one of our hummingbird feeders. This is a large and beautiful bird with a bright yellow-orange head, a black face and thro… Read moreRare Birds in SaddleBrooke

I first wrote about Costa Rica 20 years ago, when we first travelled there in January 2005. We returned there seven years later, and I wrote a second article in May 2013. Costa Rica is a magic… Read moreRancho Naturalista

If you’re not a local, you might picture a large diesel-powered war machine when you read about tanks, but we’re talking about small ponds and lakes, not weapons of war. Pinal County has quite… Read moreThe Tanks of Pinal County

Most of my friends from out of state, who have never visited Arizona, picture our beautiful homeland as a dry, dusty brown and sandy desert, more like the endless stretches of West Texas than … Read moreThe Birds of Pinetop-Lakeside

Having spent most of my summer in the Oro Valley Hospital, missing my article publishing deadline for the past two months, I find myself at home again enjoying the never-ending monsoons and my… Read morePhoenix and Birding Mythology

Southeast Pinal County Master Gardeners present, “Buzzing with Life: Understanding Bees and Protecting Our Pollinators” with a new date and speaker. Read moreSoutheast Pinal County Master Gardeners

The average last day of frost in our area is around March 15, but it may be later in higher elevations. Celebrate the end of the frost season by storing those frost covers. Head to your garden… Read moreSpring Checklist

Your SaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners are pleased to invite you to attend a Zoom webinar presentation with Dr. Shaku Nair on Wednesday, May 10, at 1 p.m. Dr. Nair will give a p… Read moreMaster Gardener Zoom Webinar Presentation with Dr. Shaku Nair

Becoming a Master GardenerOrientation at SaddleBrooke Ranch will be held Monday, February 6, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the La Mesa Room. Read moreSaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners Upcoming Events

Friday, July 15, 2022 On this morning, we watched for two-hours: the hatching of three baby chicks from their nest in our large patio pot containing a Jade plant. “Nest” is the wrong word sinc… Read moreQuail Socks

One day, several years ago, I saw a very strange looking snake crawling across a trail. It was a kingsnake, but without the yellow and black ring patterns—in fact, it had no pattern, but had p… Read moreFamiliar Strangers

Over the years, I have met far too many SaddleBrooke residents that have lost their much loved pets to a predator. Even though a resident was in the yard with his dog and had the patio lights … Read morePets and Predators

I got many calls last summer and fall from residents wondering who or what was digging up their gardens and potted plants. The answer is skunks. Then they wanted to know if they could relocate… Read moreWho Dug Up My Garden?

Great Horned Owl Read moreNaturalist View: Wakeup Call