These are two of my favorite things; a short-tailed black swallowtail butterfly was browsing on a red bird of paradise (Pride of Barbados) flower today. I quietly approached and got a few shots of the two before the butterfly departed. It was another beautiful day here as Second Spring commenced. Most other places had fall start today, but here, that’s a few weeks away as more flowers are opening and butterflies abound. Click on the image to enlarge.
Most of the saguaro cacti here have already had their flowers come and gone, but this one cactus at the Community Hospital had three new flowers this week. One bloomed yesterday and today, these two (the last ones) were open. Goodbye to our Arizona State Flower until next spring. Click on the image to enlarge.
I’m not too crazy about oleanders, but once in a while, they have pretty flowers. I took this photo down the road this morning when we were walking the dogs. Click on the image to enlarge.
I guess that oleanders are good for low-water consumption and a good border shrub, but they are high maintenance, requiring a lot of pruning and such. Plus, I always associated them with low-grade trailer parks.
Several of the Devil’s Tongue Cactus Flowers have opened with the coming of Arizona’s “Second Spring” season. And, as you can see, there will be a lot more flowers soon. Last year, we didn’t get to enjoy the flowers because the rabbits and squirrels (and javelina) find the flower pods to be a delicate snack. This year, I enclosed the cactus in wire mesh and thus far all of the flower pods seem to be surviving. Click on the image to enlarge.
We bought flowers at the supermarket last week. The label on the bunch of red roses read “Forever Young.” These lovely roses are in a vase on the sofa table in the great room. Very pretty! Click on the image to enlarge.
We’re still here despite taking the extended weekend off from blogging. Too many sports events plus other personal business. It’s all good, though, and we’re doing OK.
I took this image of some Asian lilies in my vase in the great room. We bought them last week and after opening, they look very pretty. Click on the image to enlarge.
The Red Bird of Paradise shrubs in my courtyard are all fully producing my favorite desert flower. Also known as The Pride of Barbados, these shrubs are common in most urban and semi urban desert areas in California and Arizona.
The shrubs in my courtyard seem to produce the flowers later in the season as compared to the Phoenix Metro area, so I am always glad when they start coming out. This is one of about twenty flower stalks currently in bloom here. Click on the image to enlarge.