Monday, April 20, 2015

Cactus Color Wheel

April is a great month in the Sonoran Desert because wildflowers and trees are still blooming and the cactus have begun to chime in with their gorgeous, waxy flowers. The flowers pictured here are mostly from the staghorn cholla, Cylindropuntia versicolor. "Versicolor" refers to the fact that each plant has a different color flower. Most are in various shades of red, orange, and pink. The last flower in the series is from a different but related cactus, which I believe is cane cholla. I took all of these photos on a walk on desert trails in Tohono Chul Park.






4 comments:

  1. Oh, KL! Larry and I saw this as we hiked in the Tucson Mts the other day! It was so beautiful! The other blooming plants were gorgeous too!

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    1. Thanks for your comments, Carol! I am thrilled every time I go out in the desert or even around town these days. April is just amazing here.

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  2. Always lovely to see flowers here we don't back east. Right now it's rhododendrons and irises for us.

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    1. I'm not sure what rhododendrons are, but we have irises here; in fact, our old house came with what are called "black irises." They are not black, but very dark brown and beautiful. Cactus flowers are very special.

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