Spring is such a great time of the year in Arizona and at our house, in particular. We took a little walk today up the road and I took some pictures of flowers along the way. This little slideshow starts with a pink beavertail cactus flower, followed by a yellow prickly pear cactus flower and, finally, flower pods on a mesquite tree with bees. Roll your mouse over the slideshow to pause on an image. Roll out to continue playing.
Most of the hedgehog cacti on our lot produce bright pink flowers in the spring. One of the cacti near the mailbox on the road also has pink flowers, but a little darker hue than the others. Still, they are very pretty to see in our yard. Click on the image to enlarge.
When I learned that it is legal to move protected native vegetation on our own property without permission from the Arizona Department of Agriculture, I selected this nice little hedgehog cactus up near the north property line as a candidate to move to the lower lot. It has only four lobes and will probably be light enough for me to dig up and carry to its new location. Succulents can be quite heavy since they consist of hydrated flesh and can contain several quarts of water in each lobe.
As soon as this guy stops flowering in June, I will carefully dig around it to be able to lift it out of the ground and into the wheelbarrow for transportation to the lower lot. I took this photo this morning. Click on the image to enlarge.
After the beavertail cacti blooms, come the hedgehog cacti. There are several native hedgehogs on the lot and on adjacent properties that all seem to have these beautiful pink flowers.
I took this photo of a trio of flowers on the hedgehog in the front of the property yesterday. Very pretty! Click on the image to enlarge.
We were out looking at the cactus and wildflowers this morning. I noticed some white threads or something in a cholla cactus next to the RV drive. A closer inspection revealed that some birds may have been trying to build a nest in the cholla. Cactus wrens, curve billed thrashers and other desert birds have been known to build nests in cacti. The white threads are dental floss that we have been tossing into the wash behind the house for just this purpose; so that birds will have some fiber for their nests. Click on the image to enlarge.
Our flower vendor at the supermarket was out of the little daffodils I had intended on buying. In fact, most of their flowers were below my standards, but the Gerbera daisies were presentable so I bought several stems.
I photographed this yellow Gerbera close-up this afternoon. Click on the image to enlarge.
