Some great cactus blossoms in the middle of the hottest, driest summer we have ever experienced
Aug 11, 2020 14:29:06 #
It is now a month or more into our "monsoon" season when we get the majority of our annual rainfall and it has only stormed once at our house. It is also the hottest summer on record here in Tucson with daily temps of 112 being fairly normal. Given all that, you would not expect any of the cactus to blossoming but last week I went out to get the paper at around 6AM and found a large number in full bloom. By 10AM the blossoms were gone. The one with the pink flowers (4) is one of my favorites because of its size - only two inches across so you can see how tiny the flowers are.
Aug 11, 2020 14:33:16 #
Aug 11, 2020 14:34:11 #
Aug 11, 2020 15:36:01 #
Aug 11, 2020 16:16:36 #
My wife and I were stationed at DM from 1980-84. Lived on base with an awesome view of Mt Lemon from our LR, kitchen and carport. Loved the view and the trip up the mountain! We loved the desert but not the heat so much! Our car didn’t have AC and our house had a “swamp cooler”). We revisited DM where the kids were born but the hospital was only a clinic. Our house Was gone, too, replaced with xeriscaping. Had many photos of the desert and Tucson area as well our first trip across the AZ-Mex border that went “missing” upon our assignment to Germany. Thanks for posting these memories of the cactus flowers!! I’ve attached a recent pic of a lone cactus taken on the Willow City Wildflower Loop, near Fredericksburg. Thx again!
Aug 11, 2020 17:47:41 #
It still amazes me how such ugly plants can produce such beautiful blooms! Yes, DM is changing all the time. I arrived in Tucson in 1967 as a part time pilot for the Tucson Air Guard flying F-102s and have watched DM mature in a lot of ways and go downhill in others ( they have closed the golf course for one). The base housing looks a lot nicer now and they have a huge solar plant for electricity.
Thanks for the photo of the cactus from your location - my wife, who is the cactus expert in this house, really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the photo of the cactus from your location - my wife, who is the cactus expert in this house, really enjoyed it.
Aug 11, 2020 19:29:19 #
Aug 12, 2020 08:35:09 #
Aug 12, 2020 12:36:15 #
couch coyote
Loc: northern Illinois
Wow, beautiful blooms, and you captured them very well! And a good reminder to take those shots when you see them, as you may not have the chance again.
Aug 12, 2020 14:54:06 #
couch coyote wrote:
Wow, beautiful blooms, and you captured them very well! And a good reminder to take those shots when you see them, as you may not have the chance again.
Many thanks to all of you who replied about my posting of the cactus blossoms and yes, couch coyote, the lifespan of these beautiful blossoms is extremely limited and they give very little warning when they are about to bloom.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.