Doug Kreutz's amazing outdoor scenes
Our favorite photos from the hiking enthusiast and former Star writer. Doug took advantage of every good photo op.
Red lobelia
Red lobelia in bloom at the Shade Oasis. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Golden columbine
Golden columbines are blooming this month in a dry stream bed along the Green Mountain Trail in the Catalina Mountains.
Four turkeys
Four wild turkeys on the move in Madera Canyon south of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.Ìý
Clumps of ferns
Some sections of the Green Mountain Trail pass clumps of green ferns.Ìý
Cluster of blossoms
Saguaros are putting on a grand bloom along and above the Catalina Highway northeast of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Chaste tree bloom
The bloom of a chaste tree at the Shade Oasis.
Lizard
A lizard at the Shade Oasis.
Columbine bloom
A blue columbine flower at the Shade Oasis.
Butterflies and blooms
Butterflies and blooms are abundant at the Shade Oasis, open during the day, seven days a week, free of charge.
Blooms at Prickly Park
Yellow prickly pear flowers at Pima Prickly Park. — Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Red cactus blooms
Red cactus blooms at Pima Prickly Park. — Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Desert flowers
Desert flowers in bloom at Pima Prickly Park. — Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Prickly pear cactus
A prickly pear cactus in brilliant bloom.
Cholla cactus
A cholla cactus with red blooms.Ìý
Prickly pear
A prickly pear cactus with red blooms in the desert west of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.Ìý
Yellow prickly pear flowers
Yellow flowers of prickly pears add color and beauty to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain Park west of the city.
Brilliant bloom
A saguaro produces a brilliant bloom in the Catalina Foothills in mid-April 2018. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Wildflowers along Catalina Highway
Wildflowers bloom along the Catalina Highway.
Penstemon wildflowers
Penstemon wildflowers along the Box Camp Trail in the Santa Catalina Mountains in 2016.
Globemallow
Globemallow blooms add to the color show at Saguaro National Park West in 2017.
Blooming verbena
Verbena are among wildflowers beginning to bloom at Saguaro National Park West in 2017.
Blooming saguaro
This saguaro is in the Catalina Foothills. While full bloom usually arrives in May, the blossoms often start in April.
Saguaro blooms
A saguaro blooming in the Catalina Foothills on April 12, 2018.
Finger Rock
Finger Rock points to the sky high above Finger Rock Canyon.
Brittlebush flowers
Brittlebush flowers along the Finger Rock Canyon Trail. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Blooms and ridge
Ocotillo blooms and a ridge above Finger Rock Canyon.
Bee and palo verde
A bee pays a visit to a blooming palo verde tree. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Fairy duster flowers
A fairy duster in bloom. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Blooming creosote
A creosote in bloom. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥z
Spring in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
This hedgehog cactus is just one of many plants blooming as the desert goes through spring bloom Chapter 2.
Spring in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
A yucca wears a coat of white as it blooms in the Catalina Foothills area.
Blooming ocotillos
Ocotillos like this one are blooming across the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Valley.
Ocotillo in bloom
An ocotillo in brilliant bloom.
Lupines and poppies
Blue lupines and gold poppies are among the wildflowers blooming at Catalina State Park.Ìý
Purple bloom
A purple bloom gracing the desert at Saguaro National Park west of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Desert chicory and poppies
A desert chicory bloom, in the foreground, with gold poppies blooming nearby. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Globe mallow
Globe mallow. Photo taken along the Catalina Highway on March 12, 2013.
Pool along Sabino Creek
Some large pools have formed along Sabino Creek since the creek resumed its vigorous flow after a long dry spell.
Sabino flowing again
Sabino Creek, which had been bone dry for 153 straight days until mid-February, is now flowing again thanks to runoff from rains and mountain snow.Ìý
More poppies
Gold poppies blooming at Catalina State Park north of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Bee visits a poppy
A bee visits a Mexican gold poppy blooming at Catalina State Park north of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Cactus with a nasty side
A chain fruit cholla, also known as a jumping cholla, at Saguaro National Park west of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. Chains can have 10 to 12 fruits.
Chain fruit cholla
Jumping cholla further increase their reproducing potential by hitching a ride on passing people or animals.
Clouds over cactus cluster
Unusual clouds grace the sky over a cluster of small saguaros in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain Park west of the city.
Sunset light
Sunset light illuminates clouds over ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.Ìý
Sunset clouds
A rich mix of clouds decorates the sky over ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ at sunset, with wispy cirrus clouds having an almost transparent character.
Wild Burro Trail
Wildflowers dress up a stone ruin, apparently of an old ranch building, along the Wild Burro Trail in the Tortolita Mountains.
Small pool
This small pool is a remnant of Sabino Creek, which hasn't flowed since Sept. 14. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Desert scene
Small saguaros and other plants create a complex desert scene along the Bajada Loop Nature Trail. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Sunburst effect
Diffused light creates a sunburst effect around a saguaro along the Bajada Loop Nature Trail in Sabino Canyon. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Crested saguaro
A rare crested saguaro grows next to a more common saguaro specimen. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Trail view
The Phoneline Trail and Blackett’s Ridge Trail provide some of the best vantages to see the canyon from above.
Phoneline Trail views
A guardrail provides protection for hikers taking in views of Sabino Canyon from the Phoneline Trail.Ìý
Canyon tram
A tram on the Sabino Canyon Road shown in a telephoto view from high above the canyon floor.Ìý
Birds at Deep Pond
Birds, including a great blue heron, are finding less water than normal these days in the pond, near Forgeus Avenue and Ajo Way.
Deep Pond
The Deep Pond at the Kino Environmental Restoration Project has become smaller after months with no measurable inflow from rains.
Barrel cactus
Barrel cactus fruits brighten the landscape along the Big Wash Trail.
Catalina Mountain views
Mature desert vegetation and views of the Catalina Mountains are part of the scenery along the Big Wash Trail in Oro Valley.
Brown Mountain Trail
Cactus blossoms along the Brown Mountain Trail, which yields more beautiful views than its name might suggest.
Mount Wrightson
The trek up Mount Wrightson — the highest of all the peaks surrounding the city — is a workout for legs and lungs.
Madera Canyon
A deer in a secluded part of Madera Canyon on April 6, 2016.
Finger Rock Trail
The challenging Finger Rock Canyon Trail is roughly aligned with North Swan Road.
Saguaro National Park
A maze of interconnected trails — more than a dozen of them — await hikers at the end of East Broadway.
Violets
Violets are blooming in January in a garden at the Tumacacori Mission south of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Citrus fruits
Citrus trees are bearing fruit in the orchard at the Tumacacori Mission, which has a wide variety of fruit trees.
Columbine flower
Brilliant yellow columbine flowers are blooming in gardens at Tumacacori Mission south of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in January. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Sabino Canyon hues
The extended autumn color in Sabino Canyon is “pleasant to the eye but troubling to the soul,†says naturalist David Lazaroff.
Roadrunner
A roadrunner sometimes visits a heritage tree site at the Tumaccori Mission. -- Credit: Doug Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Flourishing plants
Plants along ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ waterways flourish in the sunshine.
Golden poppies
Spring wildflowers like these have bloomed abundantly in recent years, but this year's bloom could be largely a bust because of a lack of timely rains.Ìý
Tangled saguaro
Several books suggest freezes may cause saguaros’ irregularities, like the one seen above off the Linda Vista Trail.
Tangle of saguaro limbs
Several saguaros with a bizarre tangle of limbs stand out along the Linda Vista Trail north of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Saguaro with limbs hanging down
This specimen, sometimes called the “pooped-out saguaro,†has its four main limbs hanging toward the ground rather than standing tall.
Saguaro blooming in mid-November
Saguaros usually burst into bloom in late spring or early summer, but some are flowering in fall’s cooler temperatures.
Red hues
The red hues of a maple tree brighten the Marshall Gulch Trail in the Catalina Mountains.
Red autumn color
Maple leaves add splashes of brilliant red autumn color along the Marshall Gulch Trail high in the Catalina Mountains.
Leaves floating on water
Colorful autumn leaves float in a pool along a stream beside the Marshall Gulch Trail in the Catalina Mountains north of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Autumn color endures
Colorful leaves endure into November along the Marshall Gulch Trail in the Catalina Mountains.Ìý
Clouds at sunrise
An aerial armada of clouds graced the skies over ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ at sunrise on Thursday, October 12. Photo by Doug Kreutz, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Sunsets
A monsoon storm over ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on Monday evening was followed by radiant rays at sunset. Photo by Doug Kreutz, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, July 10, 2017.
Sea of clouds
A sea of clouds sailing over the Catalina Mountains on Wednesday morning, August 23.
Pincushion cactus in brilliant bloom
A pincushion cactus, nurtured by monsoon rains, is in brilliant bloom in the Catalina Foothills on Tuesday, July 18. Photo by Doug Kreutz, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Crested saguaro signals touchdown
It’s still months until the football season, but this crested saguaro beside Old Main on the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ campus is already signaling a touchdown. Photo by Doug Kreutz, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Clifftop climbers
A climber perches atop Hitchcock Pinnacle in the Catalina Mountains while another rappels down the cliff. Photo by Doug Kreutz, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Forest beauty
Colorful wildflowers and emerald-green ferns grace forests of the Catalina Mountains in the first week of June. Photos by Doug Kreutz, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Forest beauty
Colorful wildflowers grace forests of the Catalina Mountains in the first week of June. Photos by Doug Kreutz, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Forest beauty
Emerald-green ferns grace forests of the Catalina Mountains in the first week of June. Photos by Doug Kreutz, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Collected food is donated to Interfaith Community Services for its food banks.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Gov. Doug Ducey pointed out the new law won't take away anyone's right to vote. GOP lawmakersÌýsaid it will prevent voter fraud; some Democrats accused them of not wanting people of color to vote.Ìý
The 3.5 GPAs on the Stanford women’s lacrosse team don’t carry as much weight as finding new streams of revenue that’ll help pay for those $340,000-a-year outside linebacker coaches.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ City Council voted to rescind its mask mandate Tuesday following updated guidance from the CDC.Ìý
Longtime caterer opens neighborhood store with focus on farm-to-table, locally sourced.
The new county budget includes funding for its early education programÌýand body-worn cameras for the Sheriff's Department.
Ìý
That would cut hundreds of millions of dollars from what is supposed to go to schools.