Spring in Northern Arizona

6/3/2025

Hello blog friends,

The high desert of Northern Arizona is alive with color, and the transformation is awe-inspiring. In addition to blossoms, it's a delight seeing the pronghorn with their fawns.

A special treat of Spring in our household is the yearly visit of the quail family. This little tribe lives under one of our cypress trees in the back yard. Once the chicks have hatched, they chatter to us throughout the day and walk along the fence. You can see them in the photo below.

Yvette Calleiro is the host for today's #TankaTuesday. She encourages us to write a poem using one of the several Cinquain forms. And, she suggests that we focus on beginnings and endings.
Life is a mix of opposites, and most of us welcome new beginnings. But, endings? Only sometimes. For my poem, I've tried to capture the polarity with a Butterfly Cinquain. It has a syllable count of 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2. I hope you enjoy it.

Have a wonderful week, dear friends. ❤️

25 Comments

Yvette M Calleiro link

6/3/2025 18:03:55

I love your butterfly cinquain, Gwen! What a gift to have the quails visit every Spring!

Yvette M Calleiro :-)
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2025 08:35:15

Thank you, dear Yvette. Your prompt led me to the quail - and life. ❤️

Lesley link

6/4/2025 01:46:06

Beautiful poem and post. I love your quail visitors. 💕

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2025 08:36:16

Thank you, Lesley. I look forward to the baby chicks every year. They are so cute - and fearless. 🌞

Liz Gauffreau link

6/4/2025 06:48:33

I LOVE your poem! It's a perfect little gem, a great way to start my day!

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2025 08:36:51

Ahh, thank you, Liz! 🤗

Paul Cannon link

6/4/2025 07:09:56

I love that they bring that whistle of joy, which evokes joy for me too. Something about quail.

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2025 08:37:44

Thank you, Paul. You are so right, there's "something about quail." 🌞

Priscilla Bettis link

6/4/2025 07:45:44

The movement of a Butterfly Cinquain is perfect for a poem with birds in it.

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2025 08:38:17

Thank you so much, Priscilla. It was fun to write. 🤗

John Howell link

6/4/2025 09:53:15

I love quail. I used to have a family of them living on the property when I lived in Indiana many moons ago. Lovely poem, Gwen.

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2025 15:33:19

Aren't they the cutest! Thank you for sharing, John. 🌞

D.L. Finn

6/4/2025 11:41:16

Beautiful, Gwen. There is something magical about a each sunrise. Love your Pic too. I love quail and used to enjoy watching them and the chick's trail behind the mother. We don't have them here and I miss them . Luckily they are at my daughters house to visit.

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2025 15:35:34

Thank you, Denise. If I can watch the sunrise, my whole day is blessed. I agree with you, there's something magical about it. 🌞

Jan Sikes

6/4/2025 13:44:59

A beautiful response to the prompt, Gwen!

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2025 15:35:58

Thanks so much, Jan. 🌞

Timothy W. Dittmer link

6/4/2025 15:24:19

The picture of the quail is beautiful, Gwen, and the poetry is fabulous.

Gwen M. Plano

6/4/2025 15:36:36

Thank you, Tim. I'm so pleased you enjoyed this post. 🌞

Thomas Wikman link

6/4/2025 23:41:16

It is a great quail photo and the poem is beautiful

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2025 10:31:47

Thank you, Thomas. 🌞

Daniel Antion link

6/5/2025 05:57:04

Lovely photos and an equally lovely poem, Gwen. I think you've captured well the feelings of a beautiful spring day. I hope you have a great weekend.

Gwen M. Plano

6/5/2025 10:32:23

Thanks so much, Dan. I hope you have a great weekend as well. 🌞

violet link

6/6/2025 07:37:32

I love birdsong in the morning- this was lovely.

Gwen M. Plano

6/7/2025 06:07:52

Thanks so much, Violet. 🌞

Colleen link

6/9/2025 16:19:30

Gwen, what a joy to see the quail babies in your backyard. Summer is creeping in and the heat is on the rise. Enjoy your week. 💜

Spring in Northern Arizona

Leave a Reply.

Archives