Desert Blooms

Every now and then there is a year when the rainfall is just right from fall through to early spring. Those are the years the desert explodes with flowers. Last year it was the case in California. This year maybe Arizona. I have not been up into the middle of the state and have not heard if the route from Tucson to Phoenix or on north from here on I-17 is good or not. Locally (Cochise County) it is an above average year.

Here we have a lot of the Mexican Gold poppies. They are very similar to the California variety and look much the same. To me they always look like sun drops scattered across the ground, some in thick clumps and others one by one anywhere from inches to yards apart.  As I walk along our road each day with my dogs I've been watching them start to appear. I probably missed the best day to get photos on Saturday. It hit 79 here that afternoon and the  flowers were aglow that morning. Then it rained yesterday most of the day so this morning they were all closed and a few beaten down. They may pop back to full display tomorrow--I can hope! There are a few on my place but they are widely scattered. I intend to get some seeds and spread them around in hopes that next spring will be just right again.

I have no idea when the pictures I am going to share were taken. It was sometime between 1979 and 1988 and they were taken by my parents and deceased youngest brother while they were living at Duncan, a tiny town on US Highway 70 just inside the line between Arizona and New Mexico. The mountains between there and the larger town of Safford, AZ are almost famous for the poppy displays that appear every now and then. Something in the soil and climate seems to really support them. There are other flowers too but the poppies are the pinnacle.

These were film photos, probably with a good SLR camera, but the color has faded some on these non-commercial prints. I suspect it was also rather overcast that day because the light looks a bit flat. However the spectacular views are still impressive. I've thought about driving over there--it is about 2-3 hours from my current home--but have not made the trip yet and it will soon probably be too late. We'll see.

Another interesting thing about this area is a great number of small probably volcanic stones, tiny geodes of white quartz. Some are very opaque and I call them "desert pearls." Other are semi translucent and the tiny crystals inside look almost like a strange miniature 'brain' while a few larger ones are broken open to reveal the sugary crystal structure inside. I'm not sure it is safe or allowed to go off on some of the dirt tracks and collect them now or not. Much has changed in the last twenty years or so on such things. So go at your own risk.

I've added a couple of other desert bloom photos, not mine but just to give you an idea of how amazing and gorgeous one of these special springs can be! Never say the desert is barren, boring and ugly!!  Arizona Highways magazine is justly famed for their beautiful desert flower pictures!!

A Close-up View

Wide angle with Ash Peak 

A yucca in the foreground

a floral carpet

Mom enjoying the view

Probably out near Yuma

The ocotillo-beauty and thorns