In between visits to Denis at the hospital and rehab, Karen and I did manage to get out and about. We did some shopping as well as visiting a couple of my favorite places. You know that the Desert Botanical Garden had to be one of those places! Come along with us on a very busy day.
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| Once inside, the first thing that caught my eye (after the hordes of people) was one of my favorite wildflowers, the desert bluebell. |
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| The Desert Wildflower Trail is one of the most popular parts of the garden, and it certainly didn't disappoint this year. |
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| I love owl clover! |
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| Karen and I found this little mourning dove at the side of the trail. It had a run-in with a cholla and had two big pieces stuck to it. The bird picked one piece, and when it flew away, the other chunk fell off. (Just one way the cholla extends its range.) |
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| On the other hand, this curve-billed thrasher didn't have any problems with the cholla it was sitting it. The bird serenaded us for quite some time before we moved on. |
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| I told you Karen was with me! Here she is enjoying one of the many water features in the garden. |
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| We didn't arrive in time to watch this egret catch its lizard lunch, but the bird didn't move on until its lunch had gone all the way down that long throat! |
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| Karen at the Toward 2050 exhibit. From the website: "Explore an engaging exhibit led by textile-based artist Ann Morton,
centered on community and environment. TOWARD 2050 invites the public to
craft handmade artworks that express their views on the environment.
These unique creations will come together in a captivating labyrinth
installation at the Garden that encourages visitors to take steps
towards addressing climate change." |
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| Toward 2050 exhibit |
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| Karen and I loved this Twisted Cactus. |
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| Red Wing Hopbush |
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| Kalanchoe |
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| Agave blossom |
Karen and I had a wonderful time. I hope you enjoyed your virtual visit, too!
Beautiful blossoms! And I love that photo of the thrasher. So fun. :D
ReplyDeleteThat thrasher was certainly trying to impress a lady thrasher. I wonder if he succeeded? :-)
DeleteThe desert in spring is such beautiful place, isn't it, Cathy? And you got some gorgeous photos. I'm so glad you and Karen took the time to immerse yourselves. Places like that help heal the soul.
ReplyDeleteYes, they do.
DeleteThank you for the tour and the beautiful pictures. The Toward 2050 exhibit looks amazing. And those kalanchoe blooms presage those in my own backyard that are just about to burst into full bloom.
ReplyDeleteThose blooms are gorgeous.
DeleteI love your posts about the botanical garden. And I love visiting it when we are in your area. The colors are fabulous!! Thanks for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it, Kay-- and I'm glad that you've visited one of my favorite places! :-)
DeleteThank you for the virtual visit! The azaleas here were particularly full and bright this year, and it's interesting to see how spring is going in another region too.
ReplyDeleteThe close-up of the Toward exhibit made me think of the colorful prayer flags that you see in pictures of Tibet and other Himalayan regions. Though of course much closer to the ground!
A friend in Seattle shared a photo of his orange azaleas, and they were absolutely gorgeous! It reminded me of the time I spent over two months in the Carolinas training people, and I got to experience the azaleas, etc. in all their glory.
DeleteGreat minds think alike-- I, too, thought of the prayer flags when I saw the Toward 2050 exhibit. :-)
The photos are fantastic. So beautiful are those blossoms. So glad you and Karen got to spend time there and that you posted that photos.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed your virtual visit, Kathy. :-)
DeleteWow. Such beautiful shots. Looks like lovely weather too. Not too hot yet.
ReplyDelete