When we bought this Bishop’s Cap cactus in a nursery somewhere near Chandler, AZ, eighteen years ago, we had no idea that it would produce so many flowers. This happy cactus has been flowering since early spring and will likely continue to do so through the rest of November. Click on the image to enlarge.
I bought several stems of these nice spider mums at the flower concession in our local supermarket. I like the bright yellow color and the interesting petal arrangement of these flowers. Click on the image to enlarge.
We’re still in the California House this evening and we don’t have much to post about. We enjoyed a grilled tenderloin steak dinner with a Southwestern style salad and cheesy broccoli crowns.
I took this photo in the Arizona house before we left for the big house of one of the bunch of tiger lilies we bought just before leaving. I love the orange colors as autumn approaches. Click on the image to enlarge.
I don’t know the name of this cactus (opuntia family, I think), but it gets these tiny orange flowers from time to time. When the flower is gone, another paddle will begin growing where the flower was. A very interesting cactus. Click on the image to enlarge.
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.