X and Y

Good Monday morning, dear readers!  Some of you may have noticed that I didn’t post anything on Saturday – that’s because I was up and out of the house by 6am to participate in a two mile walk/run for Diabetes that the organization I work for put on.  It was interesting…I’ve never done anything like that before, and while I had a good time walking/running (well, to be honest it was more walking than running) it was hot by the time I was finished.  So I came home, took another shower, and just lounged around for the rest of the weekend!  🙂

Anyhoo, I thought I would combine Saturday’s post and today’s post together.  First, we’ll talk about X – the Kit FoX!

The kit fox is the smallest of the fox family that is found in much of North America.  They only weigh between 3-6 pounds, and have really large ears that help the fox to keep cool when living in the desert.  Kit foxes live in dry, open flat areas and are nocturnal, so it is not often seen by people. In fact, the only time I’ve ever seen them is at the Phoenix Zoo!  The kit fox is carnivorous, and basically eats kangaroo rats for most of its diet.

Both pictures are from Wiki Commons

Y is for the Yucca arizonica, also known as blue yucca.  This plant can be found from the Sonoran Desert here in Arizona down to through the state of Sonora, Mexico.  It can grow up to 8 feet tall, with thick clusters of stems and leaves that range from a bluish color to yellowish.  One of the interesting things about the blue yucca is that the roots are used by the  Tohono O’odham people in Arizona (formerly called the Papago Indians) to used in their baskets.

NOT a plant I would want to trip and fall on!

All pictures from Wiki Commons

Happy Hiking!  🙂

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