We thought that these Argentine Giant cactus flower pods would have opened this evening, but we’re still about a day away from enjoying the flowers for a brief time. They will open and stay open overnight but they will start to fade the morning after. It’s only a brief window, but I am planning to get some good photos of them and will post them here very soon. Click on the image to enlarge.
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.
Even though we roll out the grill no matter what the weather is, we are glad to see warmer temperatures for weekend grilling. Yesterday (and today) saw temperatures in the 80’s and blue skies.
This is me smiling for Verna’s camera and posing with my usual BBQ tools; tongs, stopwatch, mitts and (in the background) a Samuel Adams beer. Click on the image to enlarge.
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.
