Red Desert Yucca
Terri Webster Schrandt

Flower Hour #22: Relaxing Beside Desert Greens

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.

This week, I’m sharing desert plants spotted during our visits to various points of interest near Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. 🌵

While visiting the Boyce Thompson Arboretum east of Phoenix, it was the perfect day to stroll the grounds and gawk at the desert plant life, with temperatures only in the upper 70sF (24C)! I know, right?

Isn’t this red yucca plant beautiful?

Red Desert Yucca
Red Desert Yucca
green barrel cacti
Barrels of Cacti Fun

Sonoran Desert Fun

“A flower blooming in the desert proves to the world that adversity, no matter how great, can be overcome.” ~ Matshono Dhliwayo

We also visited Saguaro National Park, Southeast of Tucson, also on a cool-ish day. We took the road tour to various lookouts, since dogs are not allowed on the trails.

stately saguaro cactus

I thought this saguaro cactus looked happy, thriving in the warm desert sun with its arms reaching skyward; a small smile on its “face.”

saguaro cactus
Happy Saguaro Cactus

Do you need to place a cactus call? This was spotted in the town near the national park entrance.

cactus cell tower

Honoring Cee Neuner during the month of March.

Also sharing for Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday and Lens-Artists Challenge: Time to Relax. I couldn’t resist also sharing for my own Sunday Stills color challenge, graciously hosted by Susanne this week! Also sharing for Pepper’s new challenge, One Step at a Time!

There are no specific themes for the Flower Hour; just use your own photography.

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.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from San Diego this week! 🍀

Green clovers
graphic

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98 comments

  30. Terri – very nice and the photos made me feel all warm and toasty looking at the cacti and the Yucca plant too. We had a couple of Yuccas many years ago, side-by-side in the garden, but they were white. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you too. The Shamrocks are pretty. Enjoy your time in sunny San Diego with family.

    Here is my post for Flower Hour, but I also used it for Sunday’s Green Challenge as well. I’m trying to think warm thoughts when it is 23 degrees now, a windchill below zero this morning, but hey – we had 70 degrees a week ago. 🙂

    Mixin’ and minglin’ on the cusp of Fall …

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      • It’s weather whiplash here in SE Michigan, but Northern Michigan got three feet of snow in some spots due to a blizzard/bomb cyclone last weekend. I am ready for Spring, but not 90s yet. I did hear California would have a hot spell. I’m sure you’ve taken many flower pics to use on Flower Hour – now you need to figure out how to make them into a scratch and sniff patch for your post … if only AI could do that too!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Yes, that’s exactly what they say every time they talk about weather whiplash – the new normal thanks to climate change, which I wish had waited until I was no longer around! Give AI a few more years ….

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  44. Desert greens are always a favorite of mine, Terri! We went to Apache Junction to take a ride on the Dolly on Canyon Lake yesterday, and found a museum we’d never visited just across the ghost town at Goldfield. More pics coming this summer!!

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  52. What a lovely share for Flower Hour! The desert landscape has its own quiet beauty, and you’ve captured it so well. The red yucca sounds absolutely stunning, and those green barrel cacti add such a unique charm. It must have been a perfect day to explore—your experience feels both refreshing and inspiring. 🌵✨

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