hidden

"Ura" is a japanese term for what is hidden. Along with all the "Omote" tree blossoms in people's yards, there is also a hidden world of things to see.

The Japanese spring festival is marked by cherry blossoms, but they are all coming in too soon due to climate change.

this common snapping turtle is about the size of a serving platter, with a head as large as a serving spoon. This giant is an apex predator in his world of mud and water. This one lives in a high traffic area, he will soon sink into the mud to hide from all the noise. Hidden indeed.

The beaver dams have muskrats living in them that can be seen during the day. This guy might be a beaver, but I think it is too small.

The dams are in a series along the clear water in a quiet part of the ditch, usually on a bend. 

The water above a dam is quiet, still and deep. This stick points to some beaver poop. Predictably, it looks like sawdust.

this is a big beaver slide used by more than one animal.

The light color is sand thrown out by a small burrow above the high water mark. It is surrounded by gnawed sticks from beavers. The burrow is likely a new muskrat den.

Beavers do not seem to like large trees near the dam. This tree survives because the beaver can't easily get to the wood as the earth is eroded around the base. The curved trunk is characteristic of trees in shifting ground, like steep slopes.

The dam is on the left. You can then see about 50 feet of trees missing from the bank that the beaver used to make the dam. Beaver can be destructive to trees, but there seems to be a lot of individual variation. The green grass thrives in the full sun when the understudy is exposed.

Without beaver, the ditch is much shallower, but greener. The different habitats created are helpful to different animals.

this towhee needs thick cover to get the leaves and ground cover to search for insects hiding from the hot and dry conditions.

The ducks, like this cinnamon teal use the millpond like upper part of beaver dams to search for food in the soft mud and algae.

not sure what critter chewed through this cactus to make a hole underneath. I'm guessing tortoise.

this hole is a little older.

this big headed bee is a type of fly. Notice the really short antenna.

During the day, the blossoms are explored by bees. The yellow stain is flower pollen, made into "bee bread" or propolis. It has a wonderful flavor. The bee stored the pollen on two "baskets" made from hairs on the back legs. The nectar is stored internally to be processed into honey with enzymes back at the hive.

This field has been burned to control weeds and get nutrients back into. The weeds are already growing back. Pretty controversial and not done in Corrales much. In the Australian interior, burning the grasslands is seen as a social obligation. In most parts of the southwest (near trees), active fire suppression is a contentious issue.