cold

The amount is dead critters out there is disturbing. But I have noticed in past years that spring is often a time of high mortality as well as fecundity.

this bat was found dead at Bachici open space. It can be nice to relate the tiny dots fluttering over the canal at night with the complicated little face seen here.

There are many bats found in New Mexico. This state has half of all bat species found in the US. Many can be found in the cracks of the Alameda bridge in the summer. 

the bat is the only vertebrate other than birds to achieve true powered flight. The wing in the previous picture is very different than the feathered wing shown here, which is the lunch felt overs from a successful cooper hawk hunt.

With the increase in the amount of water in the ditches, some of the banks are collapsing, especially those that have burrowing animals undermining them, like the muskrats.

the clay topsoil has to be replaced and properly compacted down with a heavy weight. this bulldozer does this job efficiently.

These smaller dump trucks maneuver well in the tight spaces. I just wonder where the soil comes from, because it clearly has seeds and spores from other places in it. Thse are then introduced to a new area with uncertain results. The Mid Rio Grande conservancy district has a huge area to patrol and repair, so they need efficient work done quickly. A far cry from the old days when acequias were local controlled and mostly designed to keep local people employed in the community.

Spring is irrigation season, start of the monsoons, and these carp are spawning vigorously. There is not a lot to see above water, of course, but the commotion seen here shows the intensity and power of these large fish as the males jockey for position to fertilize the eggs as the female lays them in still water.

Not all fish are so assertive. That tiny grey line in the middle of the picture is a tiny fish fry in an ephemeral pool on the bosque beach. He will likely die as the water dries up, or he may survive to be the biggest (2 inch) predator in this puddle over the summer.

this beetle is breeding in large numbers on the hills north of the Corrales siphon. They seem to prefer the willow leaves for feeding and congregating. The beautiful colors likely just warm insect eaters that they are foul tasting.

I think this is a velvet ant. They are actually a wasp species that preys on ant larvae. They are protected from ant bites by a thick skeleton and many stiff hairs.

This moth feeds on silverleaf; a type of common desert plant. But I am still researching why they seem to be the same color as the beetles seen earlier.

Not all blossoms are pollinated by honey bees. This tiny bee is a solitary digger bee. Not as industrious, as each bee is an independent contractor, so to speak. No workers, queens,or hives for these little guys, they do it all themselves.

 

There are many types of wasps out right now. Most are harmless like this sand wasp. Like digger bees they also don't build large nests under the eaves of people's homes, just a multitude of tiny holes in the ground.

Some sort of insect is making burrows in the mud left by receding waters by the river. I have not yet figured out what insect is doing this, I suspect some sort of water strider.
 

The cottonwood seeds are trying to time their release to the sparse monsoon rains. The seeds float down and stick to anything wet, like a puddle. The seed separates from the fluff after a couple of days drifting and then settles in a shallow area with mud. After being soaked for a week or so they begin to release a tiny shoot downwards as the water dries up. the deeper soil found in the bosque now means most seeds cannot germinate.

The bosque is a rich area for many other trees. Feral apricot and apple trees flourish in the areas with heavy ground cover, a boon in the fall for many animal species.

This is the first of the mulberries beginning to form. We have white and black (red) varieties and these trees are thriving, in spite of the fact that they are illegal to plant (trees often fail to follow the rules)

These beautiful blooms smell nice as well. It is some species of locust tree. was likely introduced by gardeners wanting a pretty flower.

Many different plants are taking advantage of high water levels. This is a type of water fern just beginning to take over a pond on bosque beach.

Where high water has receded and left a sand bar, many species of trees begin colonization. This area was occupied before by saltwater tamarisk, and the tree is re sprouting from under ground roots left over from when the surface was scoured by floodwater.

I don't know flowers much, but I figured people like to see them. This tree might be a Mexican buckeye. It should be found further south of here, but you know, global warming. I could also be wrong.

This milkvetch species survive in poor soils by using bacteria in its roots to boost nitrogen levels. They have distinctive leaves arrange in long ladders.

I still don't know what plant this is. My app was not able to keep up with the demands I put on it daily.

Here are metallic colored mating beetles eating young willow saplings. The numbers involved are huge, but I think they disperse quickly and long before the numbers of willows are reduced in any meaningful way.

The turtles are taking advantage of the hot sun to sunbath before the cold front arrives later this week. Each one seems to have a preferred log. In the ditch, unlike the Carrie Tingly ponds, they do not seem to share logs with other turtles.

Many are poking just their snouts above the water level in a sort of spy hopping seen in whales. Maybe they are just moving into the area and are nervous of the new and unfamiliar environment.

There is a lot to be nervous of. This snake is one of many hundreds of animals that will die meeting a car tire head-on in Corrales alone this year. Please slow down and watch the road, especially after the rains and during the warm summer nights.