Desert Wildflowers

Desert dwellers eagerly await the first spring wildflowers. The season will be dissected in the newspapers. A good year, a less than good year, all are written about and weighed. The prime displays are mentioned for those who drive from one wild garden to another.

With the first waves of color, along roadways you will see cars stopped at each pull out-- or sometimes just on the road with a camera pointed toward the brilliant swatches of color.

Desert flowers are protected. Oh not so much by the government, but by their guardians around and above them armed with thorns, barbs and one might imagine swords for the unwary with soft, unprotected flesh, who let a photo op make them careless. Desert is a harsh taskmaster.

The last day of February, on the west slope of the Tucson Mountains, these poppies were putting on their first big show. More flowers and colors
will soon join them as one after another their time arrives to show their stuff.

Their beds seem so perfectly proportioned, planted with trees, cactus, interesting backdrops that it's amazing no (earthly anyway) gardener planned their display.

Some years their numbers are few, but it does not appear 2008 will be one of those years. This is the year wildflower enthusiasts wait to see and drink in. This is the year the winter rains have provided all the seeds needed to sprout and spread their colors across the desert-- seemingly singing a song of spring and renewed life.

The desert's flower show won't end with wildflowers, but I won't be here this year when the next act opens with the cactus competing for which is most glorious.

As the wildflowers wane in the lower desert, the show will move north to the mesas and mountains continuing their symphony of color which if you listen carefully when out there, you can hear as well as see.

(These were all taken late afternoon February 29, 2008. The only problem was deciding which to show here as the day was perfect for flowers and photographs)