A Walk in the Desert

I May Be Dreaming/Pointed Elegence

I haven’t always paid attention to the desert and the beauty that I have been surrounded by most of my life. Somehow I missed the gorgeous desert blossoms and blooms and would see only the sharp pointy bits that could hurt me. Then something changed, and I can’t quite tell you what made me take notice, but I finally woke up to the secret that I missed that was all around me. There are times, like now, when the desert puts on a show of color and then there are times when the only green is the green of the cactus.

Now that I have finally taken notice of this beauty I am enjoying taking adventures to the surrounding desert and learning all about the types of cacti that grow in our desert. I know that I knew, long ago, that saguaros grow only in the Sonoran Desert but when you take time to really stop and think about the fact that this desert, which stretches across parts of Arizona, California, and Mexico, are the only place in the world that this plant grows. That is mindblowing and gives you a reason to pause and really take a look.

On this walk I discovered the desert putting on a show with its new growth with this cholla cactus. As I told you, I am just learning about these cacti and so I am unsure if the burgundy will turn into flowers or if it is just new growth. If you know, please tell me, I have been looking but can’t find the answer.

Even though they are beautiful you still want to keep your distance, and see the wickedly sharp spines that want to lock into your flesh!? Yeah, I kept myself clear of the pokie bits and snuck in just close enough to capture the splendor of these cacti.

These guys are sometimes known as “jumping chollas” but they don’t actually jump. They just like to catch a ride on your clothes or skin, ouch, and that is how they reproduce all over the desert by humans and animals taking them from place to place and redistributing them elsewhere in the desert.

Spring Intrigue/Pointed Elegence

Contented/Pointed Elegence

For too long I missed the beauty of a cholla being backlit, no matter the time of day, the sun shining through those white spines is magical!

So, this makes me wonder, what else is right at my fingertips that I have overlooked for far too long? What is waiting around the corner that I am going to start to notice now? What about you, what is something that suddenly came to life for you?