Laninga's Travel Blog

Because of the season, we missed some of the more exotic wildlife at the Arboretum:  no rattlesnakes, scorpions, or bobcats.  But we did see quite a few, many of which are in this (our last) Arboretum album.

The ringtailed cat is nocturnal and shy, we’re lucky to have seen one.  Actually a member of the raccoon family, this is the State Mammal of Arizona.  Lots of lizards, but also the more rare collared lizard.  Rabbits and squirrels.

Lots of birds.  Cardinals, buzzards (that make the arboretum their home), gila woodpeckers, curved bill thrushes, and many more.  Many varieties of hummingbirds.

Finally the Tarantula Hawk, a feared wasp whose sting is considered the most painful in the world.  And we caught 3 of them eating a large beetle.