Tucson Yard Journal ~ December

...and 3 Books about Cold Climate Critters

I recently finished the 7th piece in my Tucson Yard Journal series: December. Since those of us in the Northern Hemisphere have been experiencing record heat this summer I thought featuring art about a cooler time of year would be welcome!

Tucson Yard Journal ~ December (pen, colored pencil & watercolor)

Even in Tucson we can have very cold temperatures, as I noted on my art!

🌞 Weather & Wildlife Update

You may remember that in my July 27, 2023 post I wrote that I’d analyzed 17 years of rain and temperature data collected from our weather station in our Tucson yard. I reported that as of July 26, 2023 we had a 33-day streak of ≥ 105° F days in our yard, and that we’ve never had anywhere near as many days in a row of temperatures ≥ 105° F as we’ve had in 2023.

That streak of days in a row of temperatures ≥ 105° F was finally broken on July 31, 2023 when we had a high temperature of “only” 103.4° F in our yard. That means we had a streak of 37 days in a row of temperatures ≥ 105° F, way more than the longest streak prior to this which was 22 days in a row.

It’s no surprise that our local flora and fauna are suffering! Even our native Sonoran Desert plants, as adapted as they are to high temperatures and little rainfall, are definitely looking stressed.

Here’s a quick summary of the wildlife we’ve seen (and have not seen) this summer.

✔️ Wildlife We’ve Seen in Our Yard This Summer

First, the good news: Hubby & I have spotted Gila Monsters in our yard 3 times this year 🥰 and Red Velvet Mites twice 😍! We’ve also seen Coyotes, Desert Cottontail, many Harris’s Antelope Squirrels (Hubby says “too many!”*), Bats, most of our “usual” species of birds, numerous lizards (though perhaps fewer than usual), bees, and ants.

* Hubby refers to Harris’s Antelope Squirrels as Rebel Scum due to their propensity to eat the plants in our yard & wreak havoc on our patio plants!

❌ Wildlife (and Plants) We Have Not Seen in Our Yard This Summer

We’ve seen:

• NO snakes (we usually see them starting in April)

• NO Bobcats (we usually have at least a few sightings in the summer but haven’t seen any since April)

• NO Palo Verde tree sprouts (we usually have dozens+ growing in our yard by now)

• NO mushrooms or slime mold (we see these occasionally)

• NO Sphinx moth caterpillars and Cloudless Sulphur caterpillars (usually seen frequently in July & August)

• VERY FEW butterflies and moths (usually seen frequently in July & August)

• VERY FEW other arthropods like Opuntia Borer Beetles, Tarantula Hawks, & Giant Crab Spiders (we usually see these in July & August)

Hubby & I attribute the lack of wildlife to our record heat and lackluster monsoon season, and attribute the record heat to climate change. ☹️

📖 Book Nook

Now…to end this post on a positive note, I have 3 book recommendations for books I’ve read recently that are about cold climate critters.

1. Beyond Words: What Elephants and Whales Think and Feel by Carl Safina
   I know, I know, elephants don’t live in cold climates, but orcas (orcii?) do! This book opened up my eyes to how amazingly intelligent elephants & orcas are, as well as to the complexity of their social relationships.

2. My Penguin Year: Life Among the Emperors by Lindsay McCrae
   McCrae is a cinematographer who spent almost a year in Antarctica, filming Emperor Penguins for the BBC Dynasties series. His book engagingly combines penguin natural history with the technical and human challenges of living and filming in Antarctica’s extremely harsh environment.

3. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell
   This kids’ book is based on the true story of two male penguins (at New York City's Central Park Zoo) who cared for an abandoned penguin egg and then raised the chick as their own. This has been on some banned books lists because the two adult penguins are the same sex(!). In my opinion this is a very sweet book!

Note: I’ve included links to these books at the Pima County (AZ) Public Library. Even if this isn’t your library, these links provide more information about the books. I’m a big fan of libraries and encourage you to look for these books at your own local library!

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