las vegas – truths & absurdities

Ugly truths behind things we consume and use

There’s a data center under construction in Las Vegas, NV, that’s supposed to be up and running in 2027.

If you’re concerned about existing and future data centers near you, such as due to their energy and water consumption, check out DataCenterMap USA. You can query by ZIP code. I did a search and found existing and future locations in Nevada.

Naively, it struck me as strange to think of brick-and-mortar being associated with something that seems so innocuous and abstract like a data cloud. It sounds so innocent. I mean, what can be so harmful about a cloud, right? But the way we experience technology is so sterilized. Continue reading Ugly truths behind things we consume and use

All this time, I thought I lived near torrey pines

This is not from a torrey pine tree, despite what’s suggested by the name of the street that runs north-south across the Las Vegas area.

Despite what’s stated on Google Maps and local street signage, the trees encircling my apartment complex are not what I thought they were.

Living at this complex for some years now – a stone’s throw from Torrey Pines Drive – I naively surmised I was in the presence of torrey pine trees.

I was smitten by the local connection!

But that was far from the case. In fact, the closest torrey pine tree is about 327 miles away from me – namely, at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego, Calif. Torrey pines also are considered critically endangered (a more severe status than endangered) by the National Audubon Society, due to a dwindling population.

Fact-finding mission

Pines can be a pain to distinguish. They all look so similar, so you need to do your homework. So I wandered into my leasing office to inquire (probably a lazy thing to do). I learned only that my complex was built in 1989. Continue reading All this time, I thought I lived near torrey pines

The morning I met a coyote

A coyote at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs on Feb. 18, 2023.

For a few seconds, it stared into my eyes as if it knew and loved me. Maybe even adoration. Or so I fancied. Its eyes were wide and seemed welcoming. My cat used to look at me like that when she was alive. She’d give me that stare before jumping down from her tree house to greet me.

But this creature was canine, and it could probably do me some damage, if it really wanted to, and if its species wasn’t so skittish of humans.

This particular one was perched atop a mulch pile bordering a thicket of bunchgrass, mesquite and catclaw acacia, near a periphery of scrubland.

Seconds after the encounter, it climbed down from its lookout and trotted away, its bushy tail characteristically between its legs.

Prior to my excursion on Feb. 18, I had never seen or heard a coyote in the wild. Continue reading The morning I met a coyote

Berries of choice for mockingbirds and phainopeplas in winter

The northern mockingbird and the phainopepla are birds of a feather when it comes to their winter diet. Both eat desert mistletoe.

Here the mockingbird perches on what looks to be a barren honey mesquite with some mistletoe. This was at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs today. Another interesting similarity between these two birds is that they both flick their tails. It’s a signature part of their body language. Of course they also share the same habitat spaces.

Mistletoe attaches itself to honey mesquite as a parasitic plant.

Mesquites hold out until winter then quickly drop leaves

*A verdin in a honey mesquite tree at Desert Breeze Park on 11/21/22.*

The mesquite trees are down for the season at my local park. It was jarring yesterday to see that they’re barren now. As can be seen by the photo here with the verdin, which I took in late November when I was last there, they were still primarily displaying green.

After doing some quick research on this, I discovered that mesquite leaves can remain on the tree until as late as March during mild winters. That’s according to the Arizona Cooperative Extension.

That’s right on the cusp of sprouting new leaves for spring, which, for mesquites, typically occurs in late March or early April, according to a report published by the extension, titled Mesquite and Palo Verde Trees for the Urban Landscape, by Ursula K Schuch and Jack J. Kelly. Continue reading Mesquites hold out until winter then quickly drop leaves

Possible beetle eggs and a duck rumpus

*A Bewick’s wren searches for insects at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, Dec. 18, 2022.*

I think there might be a bounty of insect eggs on the forest floor in a remote spot at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs. I was at the park Sunday morning and spotted what looked as if someone snapped a pearl necklace and the pearls dispersed in the bed of dead leaves, twigs and branches. Maybe it’s the reproductive work of beetles? I’ll take a photo next time and post it here.

Passing by one of the lakes, a squabble broke out among ducks. Always comical to watch these otherwise serene creatures up in arms. There was a sudden din of quacks, and then one duck lunged at another, creating a splash. There were about 5 or 6 of ’em, having it out in this one tiny section of the water, even though the rest of the lake was empty. I saw mallards and American coots involved in the skirmish. Continue reading Possible beetle eggs and a duck rumpus

The scene where the story has a made a wonderful turn

Changing leaves were a highlight at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, 12/4/22.

It wasn’t so windy that it prompted thoughts of returning home, but enough to stir up some drama, and the drama was all about the cascade of leaves — the hue of griddle cakes, most of ’em, amassing on the ground in glorious piles after tumbling from high up on Fremont cottonwood trees — older ones, their heights exceeding two-story town homes. The trees also cast their shimmery reflections across the lakes and adorned the ground with what looked like coins and gems from a shipwreck’s treasure chest.

With all that yellow, the sun couldn’t help but look buttery. Dare I use the word “dapple” here to describe how the light scattered its rays about and filtered through the leaves and branches? Continue reading The scene where the story has a made a wonderful turn

Ordinary birds that can class up the place when they visit

When I work from home, I take a break and go for a walk around my apartment complex to see what there is and to get some air and sun. This morning, the grackles were in rare form. As you may know, a mere few can create a din — like drunks fresh out of a bar on a Saturday night during the wee hours. If you’ve ever heard their screeching and observed their dive-bombing, you know what I’m getting at.

Overall, we don’t get anything fancy here at the property in terms of feathered visitors. We do see American robins at times, like the few I spotted a couple of months ago, With their debonair appearance and beautiful calls and songs. Lately we’ve seen more mourning doves, which are ordinary, it’s true, but definitely classier than rock pigeons. Mourning doves are low-key and have more refined eating habits, not to mention their lovely 5-syllable calls. Continue reading Ordinary birds that can class up the place when they visit

I’m not the only one who stops to admire these plants

Photogenic little thing, with its festive, thread-like fibers. Apropos for this time of year. Looks a bit like yucca, but it’s a fledgling California fan palm (which I determined after perusing a few field guides). It caught my eye at my neighborhood park.

Less than a mile from my house, the park is a particularly nice place to stroll in November because it puts you in an autumn kinda mood. Many of the trees are deciduous, and parks personnel (intentionally or not) allow the fallen leaves to linger on the grass and paved paths and parking areas so that you can step on them and hear ’em crunch. Continue reading I’m not the only one who stops to admire these plants