bougainvillea pink
Terri Webster Schrandt

The Flower Hour #20: Shadows of Desert Florals

For the Flower Hour, share your images of flowers, gardens, fields of flowers, seasonal leaves and plants, fungus, algae, cacti, blossoms, berries, and wildflowers. Bouquets and silk/faux flowers are welcome.

I’m back in the desert Southwest this week! This was taken from a visit to the Cave Creek area north of Phoenix, Arizona, a few years ago. Saguaro Cacti adorn the hillsides.

Cave Creek, Arizona

We arrived as scheduled after a four-day, uneventful drive from the Spokane, Washington area. Here are some of the flowers and plants growing in my brother’s home.

With John’s Lens-Artists “Shadowed” prompt in mind, I captured these shadowed desert florals early Sunday morning.

Desert Daisy
Shadows play on Desert Daisy or Brittlebush
Prickly Pear cactus
Prickly Pear Cactus caught in the morning sun’s shadow

“Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.” – Walt Whitman

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Bougainvillea

Honoring Cee Neuner during the month of March.

There are no specific themes for the Flower Hour, but please use your own photography. And you have all week to link to this post.

New to The Flower Hour photo challenge? Please check out my page for more information! I encourage “double-dipping” with other blog challenges if you do not want to create a separate post.

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59 comments

    • I love when that happens, Egidio! Fantastic post, just read it. We’ve still got another 9 days to enjoy areas of the Sonoran Desert east of Phoenix and over near Tucson. My lenses will get some good workouts!

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    • Thank you, Egidio! I had planned another set of flowers from my archives then remembered the L-A prompt, and then saw the early morning light and shadows on the desert florals! I was thrilled with the results 😀

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  13. Some think the desert is just dry and brown and boring. It surely is not. It is full of gorgeous plants and colors and wildlife. You just have to open your eyes to see what is offered. Love the yellows and pinks of your post. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Graham! I was amazed when fellow blogger Ingrid took me there a few years ago. I googled Cave Creek area and copied some text: Arizona Sycamore (Platanus wrightii), Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii), Arizona Willow (Salix arizonica), and Black Walnut.
      Because of the creek, I’m thinking those trees are willows, similar to what we have in Spokane. They grow next to water. I was surprised at this little oasis in the Sonoran desert. I can see the appeal of living there. I am enjoying the warmth, and blue skies. Low 80s predicted today. Wish I could bottle it and save it!

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  16. […] Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia), or Pohinahina, is indigenous to Hawaii and the west Pacific.It’s planted in coastal areas such as the one below, because it’s very tolerant of salt, heat, and wind. Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour. See more responses here. […]

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  20. Terri, as we are about to embark on five days of rain, all this sun and warmth look great to me. Enjoy your stay in the sun and fun. I like the cacti – I think I mentioned before that my mom had two windowsill long cactus gardens for years. I was surprised to find out a few years ago that a Prickly Pear Cactus is very resilient and can overwinter outside in SE Michigan and come back just as hardy!

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  22. Wow, I love your photos, Terri. You are so good at capturing and expressing light in your photos. The Prickly Pear Cactus gives off great energy and closeness. Is that peak in the distance in the Cave Creek photo with the Saguaro Cacti part of the Arizona desert?

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      • The saguaro cacti can only thrive in a desert. Cave Creek is an active creek in the monsoon season that feeds many deciduous trees. I was surprised as well when I visited a few years ago. Arizona has 5 climate zones, 3 of which are deserts, and high altitude mountains and grassland. It’s a beautiful state!

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  27. What a breathtaking return to the desert Southwest! 🌵✨

    Your post feels like a gentle sunrise unfolding over Cave Creek—warm, golden, and quietly powerful. I could almost feel the stillness of the morning light stretching across the hillsides, those majestic saguaro standing like ancient guardians of the landscape.

    The way you tied John’s “Shadowed” prompt into your desert florals was beautifully done. The Desert Daisy (Brittlebush) bathed in soft shadow feels poetic, and that Prickly Pear caught in the early morning light? Pure magic. You captured that delicate balance between light and dark so thoughtfully—Whitman’s quote couldn’t have been more perfect.

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  30. It’s always fun to share new photos for a challenge instead of searching a gallery. Welcome to a warmer than usual February and March. We walk early in the morning (OK, 10 AM) now, to avoid the heat of the day here in Tucson. 🙂

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