As I type this on Wednesday (April 28), my Sunday calendar is wide open. I hope to spend a fair bit of time out of doors, either on the bike, hiking, or at least driving to some interesting locations.
This is the weekend of observations for the City Nature Challenge. Albuquerque's area has been opened up to include Valencia and Sandoval Counties in addition to Bernalillo County. I'll try to actively participate.
Also this year, Albuquerque has been challenged by Phoenix and Tucson. So the race is on to get the most observations and have the most participants. Of course, temperatures have been well above freezing in AZ for weeks if not months, so they have a head start on germination, growth, and flowering. That in turn drives more activity for animal species.
While we are handicapped in terms of the state of the season, Albuquerque metro area spans more communities. We are at the intersection of the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin Desert, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Colorado Plateau. We also have higher elevations than Tucson metro area by 1300'. This gives us access to some alpine species. True, Tucson and Phoenix have much lower elevations, so they get some sub-tropical species.
With a day-long gentle rain today, there's every chance that the weekend will see wildflowers exploding. Should be a good CNC.
The identification phase takes place the next week over the weekend. Stay tuned.
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