-
Accidental Hat Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA baby javelina rested in the shade of a blooming cactus amid a tangle of wildflowers–Blackfoot Daisies, Desert Trumpets, Chinchweed, Mojave Aster, Angel Trumpets, and Globemallow. He was spied by a raven making his rounds of social calls.
“How odd,” thought the bird. “He’s wearing a cactus pad for a hat”. -
-
Almost Hidden Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsThe jackrabbit noted with satisfaction that one of her pieces was unique: from a choker of June Beetle legs hung a rare charm–the glove-like skin of a lizard’s dainty hand, magically left intact when he had slipped it off.
-
Amber-Eyed Bride Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA coyote glows in white and gold beneath prickly poppies, desert fern and gravel ghost flowers, mesquite leaves, and an organ pipe cereus blossom. Blackfoot daisies and precious scorpion tails encircle her neck. An Apache jumping spider treads along the edge of the crinkly snake skin veil dotted with tiny creosote seeds.
-
Barbeara’s Art Deco Hat
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsBarbeara’s heart was set on a bewitching little hat to express her dark side. She was crestfallen when her request was met with blank stares from the hat makers. “How about Art Deco?” one of them hurriedly suggested. A Wilson’s Warbler and a Northern Flicker selected oak and walnut leaves, and orange silene flowers. A chipmunk gathered grape vine tendrils, acorns, pine cone petals and rare curly pine needles. The result was a meticulously crafted cupola of geometric forms. Barbeara was tickled pink.
-
Bobcat in the Afternoon Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsScantily shaded under a brim of cactus fiber, a bobcat politely mingled with the other contestants. Puffy blooms of acacia, Desert Fern, Fairy Duster, and Apache Plume were spaced around a sunny prickly pear flower pinned with a Devil’s Claw. A bud and fruit made a drop earring, a Sotol leaf held a plus-size snakeskin bow, and a Senna flower rested on a string of Creosote seeds. Glancing around at the number of prey animals, she was sure that other bobcats would show up: “I’ll have someone to flirt with!”
[excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat] -
Cougar in Red Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsOn the advice of a hummingbird, a cougar chose vibrant hues of red to attract attention. An array of Ocotillo, cholla, and Hedgehog cacti, Chuparosa, Fairy Duster, and Coral Bean blossoms were anchored to one ear by a Devil’s Claw. Ladybugs, scorpion tails, and cactus fruits made a seductive neck piece. A Barrel Cactus spine, piercing his ear, hinted of danger.
“Why were the cats invited?” Several rabbits exchanged nervous squeaks upon the arrival of the bobcat and the cougar.
“What if they had NOT been invited?” said an owl.
[excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Coyote in the Garden Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA coyote peered beguilingly from the shadow of her spring hat – a flamboyant jumble of blooming cacti and wildflowers. Prickly pear cactus pads, Christmas cholla, Mojave asters, hesperaloe and desert spoon leaves, blackfoot daisies, Southwest coral bean, prickly poppy, acacia, spiny daisies, and dangling velvet mesquite pods were fancied up with a snakeskin bow. An Apache jumping spider planned his next move. Milkweed stems with sage leaves formed a necklace, while a desert checkered skipper poised on a strand of creosote seeds.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Datura Moon Hat Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA Mule Deer, resplendent under the rising moon, was greeted by gasps of awe. Held in place by a lacy fretwork of cactus fiber were glowing, scented blooms of Sacred Datura and Evening Primrose with curls of scorpion tails. Dangling mesquite pods and snake rattles rustled as she moved. Aware that she could arouse the jealousy of the cats, she entwined her throat with dangerously sharp Devil’s Claws and Datura seed pods. “To make those whiskered demons think twice,” she assured herself.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Death Valley Beauty Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsLoping in from Death Valley, a coyote posed elegantly in a cascade of Mojave Yucca leaves and blossoms, with accents of Devil’s Claws, buckwheat, and Gravel Ghost flowers. A sprinkle of Mojave Desert Stars across her neck and shoulders convinced her that simplicity and grace would win her the award for the loveliest hat.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Desert Odd Couple Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsIn the milling crowd, another Collared Lizard protected his best friend, a cheeky Kangaroo Rat. She wore a Globemallow blossom with a mist of Ricegrass, while he sported a bibelot of Blister Beetle legs and antennae, grasshopper wings, and Velvet Ant parts. “My manly Millipede necklace is not for the ticklish!” he bragged.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Desert Recliners Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsAn upstanding–so to speak–Gila Monster couple, as judge and master of ceremonies, plopped onto their lounges. She wore an eye-popping pink & charcoal embroidered pantsuit and he a spangled hematite & coral unitard. Their sidekick Ed, a desert tortoise, was “on hand” for chuckles and dry commentary.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Desert Stars Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsAn elderly Gila Monster couple, dressed comfortably in jumpsuits beaded with obsidian and rose quartz, dragged their agave lounges to a sunny spot among cholla, Bahia, and daisy-like Desert Stars. Gazing dreamily at a dust devil spinning across the flats, they recalled the event that had happened many springs ago.
“ What a heady time,” he laughed.
“It was risky!” she gasped. “Madness caused by those bratty birds!”
“QUONK”, a raven startled them from an ironwood tree. “Lighten up, you two beanbags. It was fun!”
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Dewdrop’s Ensemble Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsDewdrop wears each ensemble only once. The plants and insects of her woodsy home offer limitless wardrobe options.
Leaves of apple, oak, willow, and mullein; blossoms of red clover and chokecherry; grape vines and holly berries mix with wasp and cicada wings, hornet abdomens, a feisty caterpillar and a ladybug.
The chipmunk always includes droplets of dew and honey as her signature jewelry. -
Fluffy Ensemble Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsSheltered by a thicket of thorns, a Desert Cottontail gazed up at the flowering canopy far beyond her reach. A Cactus Wren noticed her wistful expression. “Another bunny with spring fever,” he sighed as he began tossing down fluffy, confetti-colored blossoms for her–acacia, mesquite, Desert Fern, Velvetpod Mimosa, Plume Tiquilia, and Baja Red Fairy Duster. For jewelry, they found a scorpion tail and creosote seeds, then set to work. The rabbit soon cuddled in luxury as seeds from a milkweed pod pirouetted up and away in the breeze.
-
Forest Ruff Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA bobcat’s eyes shone with the verdant hues of her cap and ruff. Fuzzy Mullein leaves with forest trimmings–pine needles, Pussy Willows, acorns, and yarrow–blended with her soft fur. A mere spot on her leafy collar was a Red Velvet Mite– a puckered pouf of vermilion velvet fringed with its legs and feelers. Cotton Grass and a Western Dayflower guided a spectacular Cecropia Moth as she circled for a landing. “Who could top this?” the bobcat boasted as the moth touched down.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Fox in Plumes Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsScreened by Bursage and Creosote, a Gray Fox observed the erratic motion of the crowd, unsure whether it would be wise to step out. An untamed mix of Apache Plumes, Desert Fern blossoms, Devil’s Claws, and lacy cactus fiber rested lightly between his ears.
“ With a following of free-spirited Antillean Blues, I would be spotted soon enough,” he sighed.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Glorious Forest Hat Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA bobcat, identified by his tufted ears and luxurious chops, was more than pleased with his forest topknot–as compensation for his short tail, perhaps. Overlapping Mullein leaves sprung from a headband of macrame pine needles. One Silvery Townsendia daisy, a Western Dayflower, and arcs of Scarlet Gilia would have been enough. “But how could I NOT tuck in a couple of rabbit ears,” he mused. “And their cottony tails looked so nice with the Pussy Willows.”
Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Hot Pink Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA javelina trotted in, bursting with the wild textures and brilliant colors of cholla, mammillaria, and Prickly Pear cacti, snakeskins, Fairy Duster, Creosote seeds, and, suspended from a Devil’s Claw, a rattlesnake rattle! “What did that cost her?” snipped a Cactus Mouse. “And how did she procure that Mexican Pink Tarantula?”
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Jackrabbit in Fantastic Hat Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsFirst to hop in from the desert scrub was a jackrabbit, festooned with rays of agave leaves to complement his ears, a cluster of prickly pear cactus, and a dramatic Devil’s Claw spiral. A swath of snakeskin was accented with Creosote seeds, Fairy Duster blooms, and yucca leaves. Fastened to his ears were the dried pods of Datura and Fairy Duster. “Surely I will chew up the competition,” he thought.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Javelina General Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsAn elderly Javelina bristled with pride in his many decorations — earned during a lifetime of toughing it out, doing what he had to do. His helmet of saguaro skin held raven feathers, spears of agave leaves, Devil’s Claws, Chuparosa, a Mojave Aster, and links of Scorpion tails. His snout was pierced with Scorpion pincers. A jacket of Prickly Pear cactus skin was edged with Centipede and Scorpion tail soutache, with cactus fruits on the epaulettes. Rattlesnake rattles and fangs, Palo Verde and Desert Fern flowers, Mesquite pods, Barrel Cactus spines, and a string of creosote seeds all had great significance.
-
Kit Fox in Coral Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsWell known for being shy and pale, a Kit Fox surprised everyone with an exuberant burst of color, the ultimate bling: a bloom from the Southwest Coral Bean tree. Apache Plumes, acacia blossoms, Desert Zinnias, Creosote seeds, and a Mojave Aster added more pizzazz. Cleverly composed Devil’s Claws appeared to be spinning. “I am certainly visible now!” he yipped.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Lady Impala Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA footloose armadillo and a Pocket Mouse set out on a scavenger hunt and lost their way. Meandering westward along roadsides and watercourses, they collected wildflowers and curiosities–Texas Ebony, Bluebonnets, acacia, Blanket Flowers, Bluebells, oak galls, cactus fruits, and snake skins. The mouse made a pinkie ring from a scorpion’s tail and poked a tiny bone through one ear. Even a plastic cowboy was slipped in. Most peculiar was the shiny red object from another armored creature–a 1958 Chevy Impala!
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Ladybug Pillbox Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsBear with Mullein Leaves, Ladybugs, Subalpine Buttercup flower, Juniper berries.
-
Little Big Eyes Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA Ringtail Cat displayed the striped yardage and night-vision eyes that gave her a name. A tissue-thin ruff of cactus fiber, Grama Grass, and Chuparosa was tied with Creosote flowers while its seeds adorned her wrist. Fairy Duster blooms nestled in her ears enhanced her aura of sweetness. “I’m not really a cat, or a coon,” she said, “but I do share traits with each. Sometimes I am called ‘Tlacomixtle’. Well, what’s in a name?”
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
-
Littlehorns Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA young ewe of the Bighorn family felt invisible. Plain and tan, with bare slivers of horn, she faded easily into the canyon walls. But not today! She skipped from rock to rock, down the mountain to the Wild Hat Competition.“Rams get all the attention for wearing bulky crash helmets,” she had complained to the orioles who were crafting her hat. “Make me into a shooting star!”
Desert Paintbrush sizzled at the tips of Red Yucca leaves; Desert Fern, Spreading Daisies and a Globemallow orbited around her face and neck. Fine filigrees of dried Grama Grass scrolled like music. Buzzing close by was a shimmering hummingbird.
[excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Lucky Boy Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA Coati Mundi ran into a Darkling Beetle while out nosing around. “You smell weird,” he snorted.
“Are you a clown?” retorted the bug, eyeing the shabby fedora with its odd assortment of fetishes.
They immediately became friends. The beetle climbed aboard among Devil’s Claw, Fairy Duster, Screwbean Mesquite, and Datura pods; a nopalito, and a Vermilion Flycatcher’s feather. They set out for the Wild Hat Celebration, gathering wildflowers along the way. Milkweed, globemallow, acacia, salvia, Palo Verde, Tahoka Daisies, Desert Phlox, Broom Dalea, and tufted grasses made ideal tokens of good will.
“We also brought along a sprig of Allthorn. Chances are somebody will need a little jab.”
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Mojave Dress Up Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA dapper Collared Lizard showed off how he used small findings for big impact. A Mojave Aster, Desert Checkerspot wing, Lilac Sunbonnet leaves, Monkeyflower, and a rare Pygmy Poppy tilted precariously on his head. The tail of a Giant Hairy Scorpion was proof of his courage. Around his neck swirled pods and petals of Eureka Dunes Evening Primrose. A strand of Iodine Bush stems was clasped with a compliant Ladybug.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
-
Parasol Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsAdvertising a sizeable rummage sale, a Harris’ Antelope Squirrel twirled a parasol–saguaro crust on a mesquite twig brightened up with acacia, Desert Fern, and Fairy Duster blossoms, then trimmed with scallops of scorpion tails.
The ground dwellers gleaned useful items from their pantries–husks, hulls, spines, insect parts, and assorted unmentionables. “I knew those rodents were hoarders,” a browsing thrasher confided to her mate.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Queen of the Night II Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsAt dusk, another vain feline padded silently into the gathering. The cougar was breathtaking in a large, fragrant flower of a Night-Blooming Cereus with golden coils of scorpion tails and twinkling cholla blossoms. Sphinx Moths approached the ghostly-white flower to gather its pollen. She believed that her ensemble would outshine the others, capturing the award without her resorting to her usual tactics.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Raccoon in the Evening Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select options“Look at that floozy,” murmured a gray fox as a gaudily dressed raccoon made her entrance. Billowing between her ears were agave leaves, Devil’s Claws, Cane Beardgrass, Hackberries, Apache Plumes, and ribbons of snakeskins. She waved a coordinating fan and scarf. Bejeweled with the legs and elytra of June Beetles, she had first eaten their creamy insides. “She definitely over-accessorized,” agreed another fox.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
-
Sonoran Beauty Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsIn late afternoon, from down Mexico way, a jaguar emerged from the chaparral. Already a ravishing beauty in her spots alone, she wore a wild sombrero–an Organ Pipe Cereus flower, afloat in a mass of cactus fiber, with Velvetpod Mimosa and gently waving Sotol leaves. Datura pods and Catclaw Acacia strung on yucca fiber encircled her neck. She, too, had the audacity to scooch in the ears of a Desert Cottontail.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Spiny Sun Hat Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsAn armada of needles and explosive color maneuvered slowly through the Brittlebush. Barely visible under interlocking branches of cholla was a javelina. Two well-groomed young coyotes rolled their eyes. Scraps of snakeskin, yucca, cactus fruits, Globemallow, Devil’s Claw, and a siren bloom from a Barrel Cactus were caught among the spines. A fat scorpion, coaxed onto a Prickly Pear pad, struck a classic pose. Creosote seeds, Desert Fern, and scorpion tails edged the javelina’s natural collar.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
Sunny Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select options“Sunny?” Everyone was puzzled when a black-and-white nocturnal creature introduced herself.
“It’s true, I do have a nightlife and sleep all day,” the skunk began, “but one afternoon, on a whim, I ventured out. The autumn glow of a grape arbor made me blink. I couldn’t resist plucking a big leaf. Then I noticed a jay feather in vivid blue, and multi-hued juniper berries.”
Her chipmunk friend joined in. “I offered to help her gather more treasures – oak galls, dried Arizona Cudweed, willow leaves, and a raven feather. Using vine tendrils, I wove them all into a necklace and a golden tiara. She looked as bright as the sun!”
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
The Belly Dancer Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsHushed with wonder, the animals gathered around a rock shelf below. There, like a glowing ember, was a tiny, twirling figure–a Gila Monster up on her toes! Everyone was mesmerized, never having seen the underside of a Gila Monster at all, and surely not a dancing one. “At least she’s wearing something,” snarked the skink. Apache Plumes and Prickly Poppy petals fluttered in a skirt of cactus fiber, dotted with Flicker feathers, acacia, Palo Verde, Shrubby Dogweed, and Desert Fern blossoms. Snake rattles, scorpion tails, a sprig of Cane Beardgrass, Rattlesnake Weed, and a snakeskin scarf wafted to the music of the wrens.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
The Birdwatcher Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA current of apprehension passed through the crowd as a dark, formidable figure loomed into view. Most of them had never seen a Black Bear. Anxiety gave way to admiration as she eased into a comfortable pose with her avian companions and began to chat. “Rumors of a shindig reached the foothills and then the mountains,” she told them. “We found the idea delightfully absurd.” Her leafy headdress trembled as a Blue Grosbeak fiddled with an arrangement of Aspen, Mullein, Gambel Oak, and sprays of pine needles. Twists of grape vine and oak galls formed her necklace and earring. Two nuthatches, a White Breasted and a Pygmy, twittered with a Green-Tailed Towhee.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
-
The Collector Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select options“How can we make hats?” asked those with hooves and paws.
“You can’t,” barked a Raccoon.
“Relax,” said a Roadrunner. “We birds and rodents can help. A hat is just an artsy upside-down nest.”
“Kraaaa!” A raven got everyone’s attention. “Let’s have a costume ball! A competition!”Ironwood blossoms, Threadleaf Groundsel, Apache Plume, Rattlesnake Weed, snakeskin.
-
The Dressers Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsJust when they thought they’d seen it all, a Pronghorn Antelope crowned with soaring antlers and grassland flora strutted in. Several javelina girls swooned. Wild buckwheat, Grama Grass, Hesperaloe pods, and Devil’s Claws were secured to his antlers with Needle & Thread grass by a Vermillion Flycatcher. A ground squirrel straddled his neck like a mini-jockey, clutching a strand of Tahoka Daisies, Scarlet Gilia, and Grama Grass. A bell-like yucca blossom swayed at the center.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
The Good Badger Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select options“Dude! May I take your coat and hat?” a heckler shouted as a tough-looking fellow bullied his way through the crowd. Everyone hastily moved aside, gawking at the badger.
“It’s a helmet!” he growled.
The Ringtail Cat beside him quickly intervened. “An old headlight bucket was all he could dig up,” she explained. “But I insisted on the Prickly Poppy. Doesn’t he look fetching?” She whisked her tail across his face, just missing the Red Velvet Mite. The badger blushed and looked down at his fingernails.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
The Hat Maker Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsA smartly dressed skunk ambled down from the high country. Lacking dexterity in her bear-like paws, she had recruited her chipmunk pal. He formed a velvety toque from a Common Mullein leaf, then spiked it with grape vines, Arizona Cudweed, and rare curly Ponderosa Pine needles. “One in a squillion goes haywire,” he chirped. “For a breath of magenta I used Fetid Goosefoot, which forms a pink haze over the forest floor in the fall. Oak galls and juniper berries made super baubles.”
As expected, everyone was carefully polite, gushing over the skunk’s hat and sensuous tail, lest she make a stink.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”] -
The Invitation Print
$35.00 – $150.00 Select optionsThe ravens took off like black jets, inviting everyone via their extensive noisy network. Honks, chortles, screams, squonks, and raucous caws were heard by every desert dweller. “From bite-size to bigger guys!” the birds chanted. One raven placed a saguaro blossom and sprigs of chuparosa between the ears of a jackrabbit. Inspired and excited, the animals began fashioning their adornments from the abundance of materials right under their noses. The rodents refrained from noshing on the supplies.
[Excerpt from the book “The Wild Hat”]