Welcome to summer! I’m posting this beautiful Gerbera daisy because it reminds me of the sun, which will be up for almost fourteen and a half hours today. Click on the image to enlarge.
June 2013
Water Lily in the Desert
There is a koi pond in the east wing courtyard of the Wickenburg Community Hospital. I wouldn’t expect to see water lilies growing in the Sonoran desert, but here one is. This is actually the third time we have seen water lilies blooming in Arizona, the first one being at the St. Joseph Shrine in Yarnell, about forty miles north of Wickenburg. Click on the image to enlarge.
Gymnocalycium Friedrichii
We have had this gymnocalycium friedrichii cactus since before we retired in 2009. We brought it from California and, as far as I know, it has had flowers every summer since we brought it here. As I watered our plants today, I was greeted by this lovely flower. Click on the image to enlarge.
A Desert Teepee
Yesterday, on our way to the Phoenix Metro Area (a doctor thing), we passed this rustic teepee right along US 60 just southeast of Morristown, AZ. We have passed this landmark many, many times on our occasional commute to the valley and I’ve taken almost that many photos of the teepee, but yesterday’s shot cropped into this nice, well lighted view of it. I think since we were a couple of hours earlier into the day, that the sun was in a good place for this shot. Click on the image to enlarge.
Walking The Dogs
Damsel and I take the dogs for a little walk after their breakfast. Today, she went ahead while I was recycling some kitchen scraps. I took this picture of them as they were coming back down the road just west of the house. The hot weather is here, and the pups are anxious to get back inside where it’s cooler as you can see from the leash tension. Click on the image to see the wider-angle view.
Cactus-On-A-Stick
There are a couple of these unusual-looking cacti around the area. The weird thing is that there is a woody stem at the bottom of the fleshy part of the cactus that goes into the ground. I tried looking up “cactus on a stick” in an internet search, but came up with nothing that resembles this guy.
Image: purplish cactus with three flower stalks and one small branch. Click on the image to enlarge.
There is another of these located just across the east property line. That cactus is greener in color than the one depicted at right, but it has no fuzzy flower stalks like the three on the darker, more purplish cactus.
We have been watching the flower stems on the purple cactus to see if they bloom. We noticed the flower stems over a week ago and have been checking almost daily to see what kind of flowers our cactus on a stick will give us. Damsel will undoubtedly get some nice close-up images of them when and if they open.
Ever since our relocation to the desert, we have enjoyed finding out about all the critters and vegetation here. If anyone (Crotalus?) can shed light on what this thing might be, we would really appreciate knowing. We just love our desert environment, heat and all (109° today).
UPDATE: Crotalus, our honored cactus and desert expert, came through with the following information:
Those are the Arizona Queen of the Night, or Night-Blooming Cereus cacti! Known as Peniocereus greggii, they have a large tuberous root, the thin stems, and big white flowers that open at night, and they smell wonderful!
Thanks Crotalus!