Rambling Milkweed (Sarcostemma hirtellum) has beautiful half inch flowers. I spotted it ,yesterday, growing on the Wolfberry (Lycium berlandieri) seen below.
Category Archives: arizona
Claret Cups
My Claret Cups (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) and other Hedgehogs (Echinocereus engelmannii) started blooming yesterday. Both are Echinocereus. This was a quick hand held shot using a lensbaby.
Buckhorn cholla buds
Wildflowers are waning but most cactus are now full of flower buds like this Buckhorn Cholla, for instance. New growth is so beautiful when backlit. The yellow you see in the background is Brittlebush.
anthropomorphic
To me, this Cholla skeleton looked like Shaman wearing an owl mask.
Parry’s Penstemon
Our native Parry’s Penstemon is a nice break from the mostly yellow and white flowers we get in the desert. I planted these a two years ago and we now see sprouts coming up everywhere. More food for the Javelina 🙂
Brittlebush and Lupine
This scene of Brittlebush with Lupine looked like a painting to me so I used Photoshop to accentuate that.
Steve’s Dustymaidens
Steve’s Dustymaidens (Chaenactis steviodes) is another wildflower that you need to look at very closely to see just how beautiful it is. They started showing up this past weekend. Below is what you first observe so if you’re curious, move in!
Arizona Blister Beetle
We saw several of this large Arizona Blister beetle (Lytta magister) this weekend and my little Canon S5 (with its swivel screen) did an excellent job of capturing it. FYI: It can be as large at 1 1/8 inches. The adults eat plant tissue but the larva munch on grasshopper eggs in the soil.
Flat top Buckwheat
Flat-top Buckwheat is the common name for Eriogonum fasciculatum. It’s starting to bloom everywhere now and I thought I would show just how intricate the blooms are. You need really good eyes or a macro lens to see their glory.
Microseris
There are a small dandelion-like plants in the Sonoran Desert called Microseris. They are members of the sunflower family. This variety is probably Lindley’s Silver Puff. A lensbaby macro shot reveals how beautiful the seed head is.
