Hedgehog cactus flowers.
Our last week in the desert brought us the privilege of seeing many of the different cacti starting to sprout their spring flowers. After 6 weeks (and running) of being in Arizona it was really nice to see colors besides brown and green!
We were especially happy to be able to see a Saguaro flower because they are the Arizona state flower, they bloom at night, close up during the day, and have a short lifespan.
The downside is that we noticed our allergies were kicking in with everything budding. So much for the desert offering a respite from Claritin and decongestant.
Storybird has become quite enamored with cactus and helped me identify each of these flowers for you.
Gert n Sonny Forrest writes:
We’re friends of Pat and Bob, used to square dance with them, now “jeep” and hike with them. We really love Arizona, so glad you got to see the cacti blooming. We usually stay in Apache Junction, not far from the hiking trails in the Superstition Mountains. You will be amazed at the difference in northern AZ, we also love the ponderosa pine area.
Happy trails.
Boyink writes:
Hey - thanks for the comment! It seems everyone we talk to has a different favorite spot in Arizona.
We could see the Superstitions from our spot in Usery - I took a few pictures and put them together into <a href=“http://www.flickr.com/photos/40729146@N00/5621878274/”>this one</a>.
Storybird writes:
Cactus are cool!
Cactus are fun!
Cactus are blooming under the sun!