We took a drive to the Desert Caballeros Golf Club today to try and locate the spa on the property. We found both the spa and this nice little patch of xeriscape along the roadway. The patch includes ocotillo, cholla, a couple of varieties of barrel cactus and miscellaneous shrubs. This patch never needs watering other than from the rains that will be here this summer.
I added an additional hummingbird feeder at the other end of the patio last week. Now there are two feeders, but the little hummers still seem to bicker over who gets to feed where. No matter, though, we have seen as many as four at a time perched or hovering at the feeders. The fact that they go dry every few days says someone must be getting fed! Click on the image to enlarge.
My son, Gerald, sent these delightful chocolate-covered strawberries as a Mothers Day gift. They are delicious! I sampled one after taking this photo of them in the box. Click on the image to enlarge.
He also sent me a colorful flower bouquet, which is sitting on the dining room table.
My little hummingbirds come to feed regularly at the feeder by the patio. Today, I was out watering plants and taking pictures when this friendly little guy showed up for some nectar. If you click on this link, you can see him taking sips of nectar. Click on the image to enlarge.
One of our favorite desert wildflowers blooms on the ocotillos. This one is just down the road from our house in a neighbor’s yard. I love the bright red flowers against the green leaves on the ocotillo canes. Click on the image to enlarge.
We were in the Northwest Phoenix Metro Valley yesterday. A lot of the Red Bird of Paradise shrubs were in bloom. We stopped at a little landscape plot where there were several of these growing, so I took this photo o my favorite desert shrub flower. Click on the image to enlarge.
The valley gets their flowers about a month before we do in Wickenburg due to the elevation and temperature difference, I guess. My three shrubs in the courtyard have already started their spring comeback with sprouts from six inches to a foot. They grow really fast, so it won’t be long before we have a lot of these beautiful flowers in our courtyard.
