Two very pretty cactus flowers opened up here over the last couple of days; a Star Cactus (astrophytum) flower and a Fishhook (Mammillaria grahamii) flower. Both are shown above with the star on the left and the fishhook on the right. Click on the image to enlarge.
This is the latest “Star Cactus” flower to open on the Astrophytum in the courtyard. We saw one of these open when we returned from our last California excursion. This one opened yesterday (when I snapped this photo) and opened again today briefly. Click on the image to enlarge.
We discovered a bird nest in our little palo verde tree by the driveway down near the road. It might be a hummingbird or verdin or other small bird since the entrance to the nest is rather small. When we first started building our house here, we found a verdin nest in this tree.
We haven’t noticed any activity in this nest, having only noticed it a couple of weeks ago, probably after the nesting season for this year. Maybe the little bird will come back next time so we can watch what happens. Click on the image to enlarge.
We are in California this evening relaxing after the drive here from our Arizona home. We had a good crossing with cooler than seasonal weather and no significant wind issues. There were a lot of Big Rigs on the road, but we fought that off and got to the campground without incident.
The baby is cuter than ever and sporting four upper and four lower teeth. We just love him.
I took this photo of the flower that bloomed on my Astrophytum “Star Cactus” yesterday. Although related to my Bishop’s Cap Cactus, it doesn’t have flowers as often, at least not yet. This flower measured about four inches in diameter and is, as you can see, beautiful. Click on the image to enlarge.
This was our “Bear” relaxing on the RV drive five years ago today. She had just received a trimming of her normally long fur which was too much for the desert heat. She was such a sweet dog and family member and we still miss her. Click on the image to enlarge.
