The spines on Parry’s agave reminded me of heat waves.
Tag Archives: desert flora
javelina food
Yummy! Javelina love cactus blooms so this one lasted only one day. I took a quick shot of it the day before they found it with the intention of going back for some macro shots the next morning. I should have known better.
(FYI:a variety of Octopus Cactus)
velcro fruit
White Ratany produces a little burr fruit with barbs that attach easily to anything it touches. Note that there’s one main curved barb. Check out the photo below to see the velcro-like barbs at the end of each spine. By the way, they are not sharp like cactus so they’re easier to remove from your clothing.
wilson warbler
As I started to make breakfast, I noticed movement in the Creosote bush outside the kitchen window. What a treat to see this tiny little bird. The internet revealed that it was a Wilson’s Warbler. I shot through the glass with a Sigma 18-200mm lens at 200mm.
chance of rain
Infrared capture makes the desert look gloomier than it was.
Rambling Milkweed
Rambling Milkweed (Sarcostemma hirtellum) has beautiful half inch flowers. I spotted it ,yesterday, growing on the Wolfberry (Lycium berlandieri) seen below.
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.
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.