Signs of Spring in the Desert

While the guys and Sylvia were using cables to pull themselves to the top of Picacho Peak, Sharon and I were looking for wild flowers and other signs of spring in the desert. I don't know the name for these delicate, purple flowers but they were along our trail at the state park.

Some of the cacti are also beginning to show signs of flowering. The three reddish, brown buds will become flowers in the next month or two. I think this is a strawberry hedgehog or maybe a cockscomb hedgehog cactus.

This cactus also had two red buds tucked amongst its needles. I believe this is a desert Christmas cactus.

When we walked up the trail we did not see any open poppies. By the time we walked back down the trail, the sunlight and temperature increase reached the wild poppies. This picture is cool as it shows one poppy open, one bloom about to open and to the right, a tight bud. I don't know if we will see the multitudes of poppies we saw two years ago, but with all the rain (more tomorrow) one would think the roadsides and hillsides would be a sea of yellow and orange. I did notice the blooming lupine as we drove back to Gold Canyon. The ditches and roadside along Highway 60 have many varieties and colors of AZ wild flowers. It is beautiful this time of year.

More tomorrow.