I've been teasing you for weeks with my talk of the glories of spring at the Desert Botanical Garden here in Phoenix. My husband and I have taken hundreds of photos on our visits, and it is now time to do some sharing!
If you'd like to see any of the photos in greater detail, just left click on any one of them, and a new window will automatically open so you can take a closer look.
The beauty started right out in the parking lot...
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| Prickly pear blossom |
And continued all the way to the actual entrance of the garden which showcases Dale Chihully's towering glass spires that blaze in the sun.
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| On the way to the entrance |
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| Strawberry hedgehog cactus and desert marigolds |
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| Agave, Claret cup cactus, desert marigolds |
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| See the hummingbird at the ocotillo blossoms? |
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| Female Gambel's quail hiding in the wildflowers |
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| Speaking of wildflowers, how about some desert bluebells? |
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| Or globemallow, which comes in a variety of colors. |
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| So many of the cacti were almost buried under flower buds... like this one. |
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| Some blooms from that overloaded cactus. |
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| Grandfather and granddaughter enjoying the garden. Is it shadier than you expected? |
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| This cactus is often referred to as Argentine giants. |
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| Hairy Argentine giant buds. The flowers are about the size of dinner plates when they bloom. |
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| Denis and I had to see what these two women were photographing, so we bided our time. |
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| it was a little ground squirrel feasting amongst the sage plants. |
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| Look at all those buds-- Wow! |
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| The tall columnar cacti were blooming, too. |
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| Several cactus flowers look as though they're set in cocoons of cotton. |
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| Goat's horn cactus blossoms |
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| More "cotton".... |
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| Although I'd say it was giving birth to cotton balls. Gorgeous spine patterns! |
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| Mexican gold poppies |
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| Ground squirrel hiding from children. I didn't rat him out. |
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| Whatever you do, don't fall on a cholla! |
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| Even if it does have lime green blossoms! |
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| Black-spined prickly pear blossom |
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| More prickly pear |
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| Bishop's cap |
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| Bishop's cap closeup |
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| Ever seen a compass barrel cactus in bloom? |
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| Compass barrel cactus blooms |
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| Silver torch cactus. |
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| Thousands of cactus blooms, each with this much pollen? No wonder the bees are drunk! |
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| Beavertail prickly pear-- gorgeous! |
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| Even the octopus cactus was in bloom! |
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| One of the stranger denizens of the garden. |
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| Not everything has spines. |
Cactus blossoms can be absolutely, heart-stoppingly beautiful, downright weird, extraterrestrial, or vaguely pornographic, depending on your view.
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of one of the jewels of Phoenix: the Desert Botanical Garden!
Oh, Cathy, these are exquisite! The Botanical Garden must be such a gorgeous place! And there's nothing like spring in the desert. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Margot!
DeleteI enjoyed looking at all the different flowered cacti. I wondered what was the temperature that day.
ReplyDeleteIn the mid- to high 80s, I believe.
DeleteStunning photos, thanks for the visit.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteHere's a comment from one of my readers who has trouble with leaving comments on Blogger. (Baaaad Blogger, shame on you!)
ReplyDeleteBronwyn said: "Cathy, thank you for sharing your beautiful photos. I enjoy the many facets of your blog so much."
Thanks, Bronwyn!
Oh, very nice! I love taking flower pictures. These are wonderful. Thank you for posting them!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful and interesting. I have never seen cacti in bloom like that. Lovely flowers. No wonder the bees are drunk from o.d.ing on pollen.
ReplyDeleteAnd the various fauna are cute, too.
The garden has been so crowded that many of the critters are staying out of sight. I don't blame them!
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