Hi Canvas Print

Just one of my friendly gila monster visitors taking shade under a creosote bush from the hot Sonoran Desert sun. This photo was taken in June of 2007 about 50 miles south of Phoenix, Arizona. I decided to treat this one with an artistic filter to accentuate the contrast. These lizards camouflage so well with the desert vegetation and sand that they are easily missed.

In April of 2007, a plethora of gila monsters appeared on my property way out in a remote desert location about 50 miles south of Phoenix, Arizona. I am told this is a rare event, because these lizards stay underground most of the year. The only explanation is that I lived on or near a massive burrow. For about a decade, we continued to see many of them each year, usually in the spring or late summer months. They emerge in spring to mate, and then sightings during late summer usually indicate a return to their underground habitats. One used to raid my hen nests on a regular basis. They love the eggs...

Judy Kennedy (a visionary wayward muse) is a nature mystic and disabled visual media artist specializing in the Arizona Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Desert is the United States' most ecologically diverse desert - especially in the state of Arizona. With an abounding love for her home, Judy's artwork and videos mostly feature wildlife in its natural setting with accompanying landscapes and skyscapes as varied and unique as her stylistic expressions. She serves this inimitable beauty and hopes that her art inspires others in their own conservation efforts. Judy is also a versatile writer of creative nonfiction and a composer of music which can be heard in many of her videos. Her YouTube channel alone has well over 1100 subscribers. ...