Tuesday, April 30, 2019, Around Val Vista Villages, Rocks, Flowers and Birds, Mesa, AZ

The lure of the lapidary lab did not hold the same sway over me that it did over Joani but I did enjoy many hours there bringing out the innate beauty of seemingly ordinary rocks. I carried the boulder, below, up a lot of steps from the beach at the Eldwayne Ocean Park access in Pismo, CA, so I was pleased to find it to be such an interesting specimen when it was sliced. Four well-placed cuts yielded what I hope will be a keepsake set of bookends that will always remind me of our traveling days.

I'm looking forward to giving it a shine!

There was a large tree in the corner of the dog park where a group of chattering peach-faced lovebirds would congregate. I had counted more than a dozen in the tree at one time. This day I was only able to get seven in the frame at once. Eventually, I identified several more haunts where they spent some of their days but I only photographed them in the dog park tree.

I was fascinated by one particular Saguaro on the way to the pool that, according to what we had heard, should have been well over a hundred years old. I suspect regular watering probably makes the park model cacti grow much faster than their desert brethren. When it started to flower, I took the opportunity for some pictures and was pleasantly surprised when a Gila woodpecker joined me for my photo shoot. 

California Quail was another staple in the park. They were so funny to watch as they preferred to run unless they absolutely had to fly. When they ran, the little feathered knot on the top of their heads would wobble back and forth looking very comical.

Along with the many varieties of cacti, the park was home to quite a few unusual looking flowers. Some were planted by management and some were on individual lots. It was so late in the season and so few people were still around that I felt pretty comfortable taking pictures throughout the park. Below are some of my favorites.

Bougainvillea

Hibiscus

Nerium oleander

Oleander is one of the most poisonous commonly grown garden plants.

Caesalpinia, bird of paradise

Agave

(one of the 199 known varieties of agave)

Thursday, April 4, 2019, Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, AZ

The Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix was clearly one of our favorite haunts. It was close and we had our choice of virtually any restaurant you could name on the way. Included below is a sampling of the beautiful spring flowers we saw on two separate trips - one with our friends Darlene and Bill and another visit on our own.

 Echinocereus coccineus, Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus

Opuntia, Prickly Pear cactus

Opuntia, Prickly Pear cactus

Sphaeralcea ambigua, Globemallow

Opuntia, Prickly Pear cactus

OK, so not all of these blooms are on cacti but there certainly was an abundance of unique and fascinating blooms just crying out for their photo opportunity!

Calliandra eriophylla, Pink Fairy Duster

This little bunny probably nibbled on a different flower every day - talk about variety!

 Sylvilagus audubonii, Desert Cottontail

The Fairy Dusters below were in the process of unwinding into their final state. I was able to catch blooms in every stage of development in this single frame.

Calliandra californica, Baja Fairy Duster

Adenium obesum, Desert Rose

The bloom below had to be one of the strangest we had ever seen. It certainly took the prize for "wildest construction."

Passifloraceae, the passion-flower

Passiflora belongs to the Passifloraceae family. There are over 400 species of this extraordinary plant.

Fouquieria splendens, Ocotillo (but also referred to as coachwhip, candlewood, slimwood, desert coral, Jacob's staff, Jacob cactus, and vine cactus)

Adenium obesum, Desert Rose

Lugging the tripod along was a bit of extra work but it gave me exposure options that I used to give the pictures more depth of field (better focus) that might have improved many of these pictures.

 Zygophyllaceae: Larrea tridentata, Creosote Bush

Someone on the trail asked if I knew where the butterfly pavilion was located. I told them but I thought it was closed. That's when we learned the exhibit had just reopened. We spent quite a while with the delicate creatures floating around us and occasionally posing for a picture or two.

Vanessa cardul, Painted Lady Butterfly

 Anartia jatrophe, White Peacock Butterfly




Junonia coenia, Buckeye

Agraulis vanillae, Gulf Fritillary

Agavaceae, Agave Americana (century plant)

The Palo Verde trees were in full bloom. The flowers littered the ground beneath them and seemed to catch on just about everything. Notice the agave spikes below had even skewered some of the tiny yellow flowers.

Parkinsonia aculeata, Palo Verde Tree

"The Desert Botanical Garden displays 186 of the 212 known species and varieties in the genus Agave, making this the most prominent agave collection in the United States and perhaps in the world."

The abundant rains covered the Ocotillo with a thick layer of green topped by the delicate red blooms - a far cry from the typical dried out, leafless, spindly look they have throughout most of the summer months.

Wiki: Ocotillo is not a true cactus. For much of the year, the plant appears to be an arrangement of large spiny dead sticks, although closer examination reveals that the stems are partly green. With rainfall, the plant quickly becomes lush with small (2–4 cm), ovate leaves, which may remain for weeks or even months.

We found out there was an effort many years ago to make the gardens into a National Park. Whether that would have been good or not I don't know but with the abundance of specimens, the evening light show and many other programs we think the gardens are a treasure and will certainly be visiting them again whenever we are in the area.  If you join the American Horticultural Society (AHS) for $50 (Sustaining Member - admits 2) they have a reciprocal admissions program that allows free admission into botanical gardens across the country.