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.
The vase on the sofa table has these beautiful Asian lilies this weekend. I borrowed a couple of them and took them over to Mom at the ranch to brighten up her room. Click on the image to enlarge.
We bought this cereus a couple of years ago at the garden shop. When we got it, it needed re-potting, so I put it in this three gallon container. It was getting little lobes on the sides and needed the room. The bad thing is that I lost the name of this variety of cereus (I think it’s a cereus).
Well, in timing with the monsoons and the other cereus “queen” flowers, one of the flowers on this cactus opened early this morning. It’s very beautiful and it has a light fragrance – almost lemony.
The image above is one of five in a slideshow. Click the image to advance to the next frame.
The first of the three “Queen of the Night” flowers opened tonight. We went up the little hill where the cereus cactus is growing and took several images of this beautiful flower. There are two more buds that should open in the next day or so. Looks great, smells great! Click on the image to enlarge.
UPDATE (7/20/13): The other two cereus flowers opened last night. I captured this image of the two open flowers and the remnants of the frower from the night before. Click on the image to enlarge.
