life

there were at least three muskrats out in the ditch today. I watched them eating grass shoots and bark off twigs. Some were very shy and other pretty brazen. They differ from beaver is being pretty small, and not having broad tails.

this plant is one of the most brazen plants I know. In the galapagos islands, these same plants grow into huge trees. They were once studied as a source for wartime rubber. These plants literally cannot be eradicated from those English lawns that look so weird to New Mexico. They are too adaptable.

Another highly adaptable bird is the American crow. These flocks have a different warning cries not only for different predators, but for different contexts of predators. A red tailed hawk hunting gets a different alarm to a red tailed hawk preening, for example.

This red tailed hawk was in a flock of crows, which would normally have raised their ire, (measured in decibels)

This flock was pretty large, and roosted near Alameda Road. It is a mere remnant of the huge flocks that had been here three months ago.

A summer bird. The killdeer actually try to draw you away from areas with a high pitched keening sound. Some will fake a broken, fluttering wing during the breeding season.

This creature blurs the lines between the insects and crustaceans. The ancient lineage of silverfish is recognise by most 10 year olds from minecraft video games. A fast runner, but not able to climb walls like other insects.