Monday, July 30, 2007



The rains have brought a huge crop of hedgehog cactus blooms in the front yard. They are scattered throughout the yard, and they are beautiful, as these photos show.

They are predicting more rain today. At this point, we don't really need it. The cactuses and trees have already taken in what they want. Our prickly pears are no longer shriveled and wrinkly, but have become fat and juicy-looking. The saguaros have also become fat, to the point where their pleats have mostly filled out. The drooping agaves now stand upright once again.

I wish there were some way to space the water out more evenly over the year. Or even over the monsoon season. But some of this should soak in and help recharge the valley's very depleted aquifer.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:50 PM

    Yep, our hedgehog's look like that, too...one had a very nice halo o' flowers for a couple of days.

    (This is bats :[ from CC...at this point, any Saturday (or even Sunday) in August or September looks good for me. Of course, to quote a certain little green guy, "Always in motion is the future.")

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  2. Anonymous11:55 AM

    I love the image of plump cacti. Mom told me about the rain. I hope my house didn't leak. My tenants were away. Alas. The August Az Hwys picture is a stunning sunset in the saguaros.

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  3. Hi,
    Your cactus looks like a Mammillaria grahamii or a M. longiflora. The Hedgehogs are actually in the Echinocereus genus. Gorgeous photos.
    Aiyana

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