Verna snapped a photo of the desert today on our way home from the valley. I cropped it down and made this panorama of the Sonoran Desert between Wittmann and Morristown along US route 60. It was a wonderful spring day with mild temperatures, partly cloudy skies and very little traffic! Click on the image to enlarge to full-sized panorama.
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.
As we were heading out to do our weekly grocery shopping, a roadrunner darted across the road, ran behind some oleanders and surfaced next to the neighbor’s fence. I got this shot of it just before it took off down the road (meep meep). Click on the image to enlarge.
Verna and I took the dogs to the Wickenburg Dog Park today. It was sort of a blustery, but not cold, spring day but the dogs did not notice nor care. They enjoyed running free, chasing around the park and were generally enjoying themselves.
When they had their fill of all this freedom and exercise, they came to the exit gate ready to get back on their leashes and head home. Click on the image above to alternate between two scenes Verna captured at the park.
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.
