Mike in the Wild

There are numerous signs that spring is in the air around Phoenix: major league baseball is playing its pre-season training games, pollen-filled air has us reaching for our allergy pills, birds are starting their noisy mating rituals.  But most notably for anybody hiking area trails is that reptiles - especially rattlesnakes - are waking up from their winter hibernation.  I had my first lizard sighting since autumn when I saw one scurry across my front porch last week.  It was a sunny, pleasant afternoon and the skinny reptile was probably savoring the same warmth I was.  In addition,  plants are in bloom and aloe flowers especially are replacing my backyard feeder's sugar water as the most popular nourishment for local hummingbirds.  After a cool and wet winter, the change in temperature is a welcome relief for all animals, including humans. It was an easy decision to drive forty minutes to Cave Creek for a morning hike in Maricopa County's Spur Cr...