Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Ring of Tiny Pink Cactus Flowers

Tiny Pink Flowers

This nice little barrel cactus (species unknown) has almost a complete ring of flowers around its crown. Each station where a flower bud appears can be traced back to the crown of the cactus by following the smooth curves that connect the fuzzy peaks along the top. Click on the image to enlarge.

Bob posted some information about mathematical formations in nature along with a photo of this very cactus without flowers a couple of years ago. Just like in the image above, the post showed examples of Fibonacci spirals, both natural and man made.

14 Apr 2015 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

Goldfinch Feeding Frenzy

Goldfinch Feeding

Well, not in the shark sense, but today I was in the courtyard with the camera and telephoto lens looking for photo targets of opportunity. All of a sudden several goldfinches were competing for perches on Damsel’s feeder out front. I got this lucky shot while the competition was still on. Shortly after I took the photo, the birds had all settled on the six available perches and were calmly picking seeds out of the feeder.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel SL1 – Focal length 300mm – F5.6 – ISO 200 – SS 1/400 sec. The range was about 10 yards. Click on the image to enlarge.

12 Apr 2015 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography

Mexican Bird of Paradise

Mexican Bird of Paradise

We don’t have any of these in our inventory, but it might be nice to get one or two of them out in the west rock and cactus garden. they take up a bit more space than the Red Bird of Paradise which we have in the courtyard. A couple of the latter are beginning their annual new growth to become the four foot high shrubs with similar but brighter flowers than above. Click on the image to enlarge or click on the like to see the new growth.

11 Apr 2015 by Arizona Flowers Photography

Prickly Pear Cactus Flowers

Orange Yellow

When we were in town the other day, we took a roundabout way home along a street known to have a lot of prickly pears in the homes’ landscape gardens. I was not disappointed when I saw that a few of their flowers had begun to open.

I couldn’t tell you which variety of prickly pear (opuntia) these were on, but they differed in flower color, paddle color and needle arrangements. The flower on the left is deep orange in color (it looked reddish from a distance) and the one on the right is a more common yellow color. Click on either image to enlarge.

Other than the beavertail variety, none of the prickly pears in our yard have open flowers, but there will be some for sure. I’m looking forward to seeing the flowers open on our lawyer’s tongue cactus that currently has several flower buds for the first time since we planted it in the rock and cactus garden.

07 Apr 2015 by Arizona Flowers Photography

Easter Lily

Easter Lily

This Easter lily flower opened up just in time for the holiday. Most of the plants that were available in the store were either far from opening or already open and wilting. I was lucky to find this one that was just about to open and, lucky for us, opened yesterday. Click on the image to enlarge.

We hope everyone had a very good Easter and Passover.

05 Apr 2015 by Flowers Holidays Photography

Easter Deal

Easter Deal

The bungling of foreign policy has never in the history of this country been such a joke as the current administration makes it to be. I love Ramirez’ cartoon likening the idiot Kerry to a pink bunny while dancing on a carpet that is embroidered “Stupid is as stupid does.” It made me laugh out loud. Click to slightly enlarge the ‘toon.

04 Apr 2015 by Humor International Islamic Terrorism Whacko Politics

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