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Cactus/Desert Flowers and Plants

Cacti are nature's soldier's. They often come with a reminder that all that is beautiful is not easy to come by without effort and some hurt. Not all desert plants are cactus. Some find a small geographic and seasonal niche that allows them to survive the hot and dry summers. Many have adapted in special ways to deal with the lack of water and shade. Celebrate natures' diversity.
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Brittle Prickly Pear (Opuntia fragilis) found in the sand dunes owned by the Nature Conservancy near Red Rock Lakes Nat'l Wildlife refuge. This one appears more orange than the more traditional yellow bloom.
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Brittle Prickly Pear (Opuntia fragilis) found in the sand dunes owned by the Nature Conservancy near Red Rock Lakes Nat'l Wildlife refuge. This one appears more orange than the more traditional yellow bloom.

BrittleCactus119830

  • Surealistic view of Saguara Cactus and cresent moon with Venus near Pipe Organ Cactus National Park, Feb 26, 2009
  • Saguaro Cactus in wash with North Gila Mountains near Yuma, Arizona in background. Feb 2010.
  • Cactus and Gila Mountains in the background near Yuma, Arizona. March 2010
  • Brittle Prickly Pear (Opuntia fragilis) found in the sand dunes owned by the Nature Conservancy near Red Rock Lakes Nat'l Wildlife refuge. None of the plants have fully opened yet, It is a small prickly pear cactus native to much of North America. It occurs in several Canadian provinces. It is known from farther north than any other cactus. It is even known near the Arctic Circle in Alberta, Canada.
  • Brittle Prickly Pear (Opuntia fragilis) found in the sand dunes owned by the Nature Conservancy near Red Rock Lakes Nat'l Wildlife refuge. This one appears more orange than the more traditional yellow bloom.
  • Saguaro Cactus with sunburst showing through it's arms in a wash along the Fortuna Foothills, north of Yuma, AZ. March 18, 2012.
  • Desert Gold (Geraea canescens) bush with delightful bloom with Orange stamens. This is one of the showest of the sunflowers. This specimen has 8 petals. The seeds are a great source of food for pocket mice and other small rodents who store them in quantities. Hummingbird moths are attracted to the fragrant flowers. Very greyish leathery leaves on this shrub that is found in and around Yuma, AZ. March 17, 2012.
  • Desert Gold (Geraea canescens) bush with bright gold stamens reaching up away from the petals. This specimen has 8 petals. Very greyish green leathery leaves on this bush with delightful bloom. This is found in and around Yuma, AZ. March 17, 2012.
  • This yellow Creosote (Larrea tridentata) flower blooms on a large shrub in Arizona. It's petals are twisted like an airplane propeller and the bloom lacks apparent symmetry. Bees enjoy the shrub and it leaves small puffy white balls after it blooms, presumably part of it's seed process. Yuma, AZ March 17, 2012. It has 4 yellow sepals and 5 yellow twisted petals which together make it look like a very confusing and twisted bloom. These are less than an inch across and grow from a very branched and small set of leaves that are opposite and are always in pairs. The bush is about 6 to 10 feet tall and spreads out from several larger branches.
  • This yellow Creosote (Larrea tridentata) flower blooms on a large shrub in Arizona. It's petals are twisted like an airplane propeller and the bloom lacks apparent symmetry. Bees enjoy the shrub and it leaves small puffy white seed balls after it blooms. Yuma, AZ March 17, 2012.
  • This yellow Creosote (Larrea tridentata) flower blooms on a large shrub in Arizona. It's petals are twisted like an airplane propeller and the bloom lacks apparent symmetry. Bees enjoy the shrub and it leaves these small puffy white, hairy seed balls after it blooms. They are no larger than about 1/3 inch wide. Yuma, AZ March 17, 2012.
  • Heliotrope phacelia
  • This Dune Evening Primrose (Oenothera deltoides)is at home in sandy environments. Notice the large yellow stamens.
  • Bush overview of Desert Gold sunflower. Yuma Arizona. March 2012
  • Unknown (as of now) small yellow cup shaped flower along nature trail at Verde Valley Thousand Trails Campground, in Verde Valley, Arizona. Mar 31, 2012. (See next photo for side view.)
  • Unknown (as of now) small yellow cup shaped flower along nature trail at Verde Valley Thousand Trails Campground, in Verde Valley, Arizona. Mar 31, 2012. (See last photo for top view.)
  • I'm still trying to identify this beautiful 4-petaled yellow flower that grows in desert like conditions on rocky slopes at Verde Valley Thousand Trails. April 1st, I only found 2 specimens on the hill.
  • Sanddune wallflower?
  • Sanddune Wallflower
  • Purple-Nerve Spring Parsley (Cymopterus multinervatus). This unusual plant with purplish edges and paper thin petals popped up from the rocky desert floor along the nature trail at the Verde Valley Thousand Trails campground on April 1, 2012, near Cottonwood, AZ.
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