Southwest Hummingbirds & Butterflies
A SUPER ABUNDANCE OF HIGH DESERT NECTAR SLURPERS ABOUNDWITHIN THE BEAR CREEK NATURE PRESERVE August is High Season for Hummingbirds and Butterfliesat Casitas de Gila Guesthouses THE BEAR CREEK NATURE PRESERVE In 1999, the Bear Creek Nature Preserve was created and set aside in Bear Creek Canyon at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses. Initially comprising some 70 […]
YUCCA, SOTOL, AND BEARGRASS
These Iconic Plants of Southern New Mexico Were Nature’s Grocery Store, Pharmacy, Fabric Shop, and Hardware Store for the Native Americans of Southwest New Mexico SHOWTIME IN THE HIGH CHIHUAHUAN DESERT Beginning sometime in June, and generally peaking in early July, the Juniper and Piñon dominated High Chihuahuan Desert landscape surrounding Casitas de Gila Guesthouses […]
FLOWERING CACTUS IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO
THE MARVELOUS LATE SPRING FLOWERING OF CACTUS IN THE HIGH DESERT OF SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO During the Driest Months of the Year, Cactus Blooms Accent a Landscape Parched and Waiting for the Rains WAITING FOR THE RAINS TIME Once again it’s Waiting for the Rains Time here at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses. Similar to the […]
WINTER & SPRING BIRDING IN THE GILA COUNTRY
WINTER AND SPRING BIRDS AT CASITAS DE GILA GUESTHOUSES Along Bear Creek, at the Edge of the Gila Wilderness in Southwest New Mexico THE GILA NATIONAL FOREST – EXTREME DIVERSITY IN BIRD HABITAT The Gila National Forest is vast — comprising some 3.3 million acres — and pristine, with roughly one-quarter of its acreage officially […]
THE SAN FRANCISCO RIVER BACKCOUNTRY
EXPLORING HISTORY AND WILDERNESS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO RIVER BACKCOUNTRY IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO A Fascinating Landscape of Natural and Cultural History in the Old Southwest THE SAN FRANCISCO RIVER BACKCOUNTRY – A PLACE WHERE THE MAGNIFICENCE OF NATURE AND THE LEGENDS OF THE OLD SOUTHWEST ABOUND About 40 minutes north of Casitas de […]
FOREST FIRES & CYCLES OF NATURAL CHANGE IN THE GILA WILDERNESS
THE WHITEWATER-BALDY COMPLEX FIRE:LARGEST FOREST FIRE IN NEW MEXICO’S RECORDED HISTORY It was early on the afternoon of May 16, 2012 while taking the trash from Casitas de Gila Guesthouses to the Gila transfer station, that one first noticed the fire about 25 miles away to the northwest: two small columns of smoke drifting lazily […]
A BRIGHT GREEN NEW MEXICO OASIS
BEAR CREEK IN JUNE: A BRIGHT GREEN OASIS IN A HIGH-DESERT LANDSCAPE WAITING FOR THE RAINS TO COME MAY AND JUNE: DRYING TIME IN THE HIGH DESERT SOUTHWEST It is late into the “waiting for the rain time” again here at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses on Bear Creek in Gila, New Mexico. It has been […]
Night Life at Casitas de Gila
Sitting quietly in front of Casitas de Gila Guesthouses late at night, one cannot help but wonder about what might be going on down along Bear Creek, a hundred feet below. What wildlife might be there in the darkness, and what might it be doing? On most nights, even a short time spent listening intently […]
The Colorful World of the Lichens of the Gila
Sitting in front of Casitas de Gila Guesthouses, one is presented with an overwhelming panorama of pristine natural beauty stretching from the distant mountainous ramparts of the Gila Wilderness to the close-up verdant oasis of the Bear Creek drainage in the canyon below. The scene is ever changing with the seasons, offering unlimited photographic opportunities […]
The Rhythm of the Stress-Free Zone of Nature
Given a few days off from the daily grind, most of us relish the thought of spending some time at the beach or in the forest or mountains. And when one can manage to make that escape, it is rare to not return refreshed, invigorated, and inspired to once more pick up the reins and […]
