A few sights around the neighborhood

Posted on May 27, 2022 by E.A. Wickham

white blooms of a yucca — Yucca in bloom by our park.

I never grow tired of the desert sights. It’s such a different desert than the manicured lawns, hedges and golf courses of Palm Springs — yet it’s technically the same desert. The Sonoran Desert.

hatched quail eggs — My husband spotted these quail eggs in a planter under a bush. Talk about an effective nest. Now we know where the babies came from.

planter with quail eggs — This is the planter where the quail made a nest! It’s in the side yard right outside where the trash bins are stored.

I’ve been watching this century plant grow.

century plant ready to bloom. — A few weeks later. It’s grown so fast, you can stand still for a few minutes it seems like you can watch it grow.
I wonder if it will bloom?

Sunset in the Desert. — Sunset view with ocotillo.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by. What are your plans for the weekend?

A bit of sadness

Posted on April 12, 2022 by E.A. Wickham

I’ve been waiting to see this Century plant in bloom. This photo was taken two weeks ago.

Fast growing Century Plant. — Still waiting for the blossoms….Look how much it grew. This photo was taken a couple days ago. My husband said he thought he could watch it growing taller right before his eyes.

I’m enjoying the blossoms on cactus, but they are very short lived. One day there are furious blooms and the next day, they’ve expired.

I’ve been keeping my eye on the neighbor’s Century plant and wanted to make sure I wouldn’t miss the flowers.

You can imagine how sad we felt when we went on our morning walk today and saw this:

Fallen Century Plant before it bloomed — We will never get to enjoy the blooms. We felt like we lost a friend. It also reminded me of our saguaros we lost.

The desert in bloom

Posted on April 6, 2022 by E.A. Wickham

We went away for the weekend to Puerto Penasco and came back home to warm weather and the desert busting out in bloom. What I’ve discovered is the blooms don’t last long. One day a cactus may have a gorgeous flower — the next day it’s gone.

I’m amazed at how many flowers are in blossom in the Sonoran Desert.

I have a little plant guide from the McDowell Sonoran Preserve called “Wildflowers” that categories native blossoms by color. I’m doing my best to use the book to identify the plants.

Here are blooms I saw during my morning walk:

budding hedgehog cactus — Buds on a hedgehog cactus.

purple blossoms. — This looks like Desert Hyacinth according to the wildflower book. But since it’s in a yard, it might not be a native desert plant.

Century plant with tall bud — The neighbor’s Century Plant keeps getting taller, but hasn’t blossomed yet.

red blooms on hedgehog cactus — Another blooming hedgehog cactus.

red flowering desert plant — I’m not 100% sure but the closest I could find is called Hackberry Beardtongue.

Honeysuckle orange blooms — Honeysuckle in my back yard.

Pink Fairy-duster pink blooms — Pink Fairy-Duster. Isn’t that a great name?

What is blooming in your neighborhood?

Spring has sprung!

Posted on March 28, 2022 by E.A. Wickham

There is a warmth in the air along with the delicious scent of jasmine. Looking around, I see signs that the cold winds of winter have left us. I see blooms and buds on my daily walks. Each day brings something new.