Flowering Trees

 

I was at the Scottsdale Civic Center last weekend where I spotted two trees that were blooming at the moment.  This pink one I believe is called Rosy Trumpet tree.

For this one with the white blooms I used Google to identify it as an Amelanchier.  Google indentification can be hit or miss so if any of you plant experts know better, please let me know.

Those Hidden Assets

 There are many times when I take a photo thinking I'm looking at a single subject and then when it's downloaded I find something else hidden there.  In the photo above, I found a tiny little insect sitting on the wheat shaft.

On this photo of a jimsonweed bloom, I found a tiny little ant climbing up the shaft coming out of the center of the bloom.  

I took this photo of the Chihuly towers that greet visitors to the Desert Botanical Garden just at dusk.  I thought the dwindling light would make a good background.  But after downloading the photo, I notice and airplane coming in for a landing at Sky Harbor Airport.  Can you see it?  It's just about to go behind the mountain.  

You never know what might be lurking in the background. 

Positioning the Subject

 

I have two more photos from the "Favorites" file today.  This one was taken in May of 2014 when I spotted this cactus with an agave plant situated a few feet away.  I like the way they complimented each other.

Almost exactly a year later in May of 2015, I photographed the same cactus and this time it appeared centered with the agave plant.  The same two plants, just two different perspectives.  Which do you think works best?

Valentine's Day

 

I found this giant heart at Biltmore Fashion Park recently.  I've never seen them put something out for Valentine's Day so it was a nice surprise.

Then, when I was looking for those photos of the iron saguaro I posted yesterday, I came across this photo taken years ago of a heart-shaped bloom on a slipper plant.  We call them slipper plants but their real name is euphorbia lomelii which is a drought resistant plant making it a perfect plant for growing in the desert.  The blooms tend to look like a lady's slipper but this one is a perfect heart.  

Happy Valentine's Day

Colorful Leaves

 

I was standing at the entrance to my complex waiting for an Uber to arrive when I noticed the pretty leaves on some of the plants in the decorative planters.  I believe these are geranium leaves.

More geranium leaves with a few blooms popping in.

I think these are cyclamen plants.  They have some pretty fancy leaves too.  

Sometimes the leaves are just as pretty as the flowers.

When Did All This Screaming Start?

 

On Thursday evening, I joined friends to attend a performance by Jeremy Jordan at the Scottsdale Center For the Performing Arts.  Jordan is a Tony-nominated Broadway star with an incredible voice and excellent stage presence.  The show was excellent and beautifully staged.

The behavior of the audience is what troubled me.  The constant screaming caused me to cover my ears multiple times.  It seemed like every song he sang spurred many audience members to scream as though an alien creature had just grabbed them.

I'm used to enthusiastic applause and loud, exuberant  cheering but screaming at the top of your lungs seems a little much.

I've noticed this phenomenon probably over the past 4 years.  In fact, it's one of the reasons that I gave  up my season tickets to the Valley Broadway series.  I've had those 5th row/center tickets for over 20 years but lately I've been finding it hard to enjoy the performances when the audience pierces my ears with their constant screams.   

The photos of the plants above were taken near the Scottsdale Civic Center.

Datura, Datura!!

 

I went to the Desert Botanical Garden early Sunday morning and encountered two very large patches of datura blooming with their distinctive white trumpet-shaped flowers.  I had never seen such large patches of the plant before.

The patches of blooms were making the bees very happy.  Both sites were covered with bees of all sizes enjoying the blooms.  

I was curious as to whether any of the poisonous effects of this plant can transfer to the honey produced by the bees.  According to my research, it wouldn't be of high enough concentration to cause any ill effects.  Phew!

Search for Shade

 

I had an appointment with the eye doctor yesterday and when I arrived at the parking lot, I was hoping I'd find a spot in the shade.  We Arizonans are good at finding a little sliver of shade anywhere we can.  I lucked out and found a spot under this huge, old tree.

I took the top photo from my car window.  When I got out and walked around the row of cars, I spotted an agave plant with a tall bloom stock growing under the tree.

It looked sort of out of place hiding under the shade of that big tree.  But I bet it was happy to be out of the sun.  

A Curious Little Plant

 

When I was at the garden on Sunday morning, I came across these very small plants that sort of resemble artichokes.  I have no idea what they are and there was no sign to give me a clue.  

They were planted in the Aloe garden and were surrounded by all kinds of aloe plants.  

However, these look more like agaves than aloe plants.  

I wonder what they are.

Sun Protection

 

I noticed on Saturday that the Heard Museum has found a unique way to protect the beautiful flower planters from the direct sunlight.  

I've admired those planters for a long time and posted many photos of the flowers pouring out of each of those planters.  I was hoping they would survive the heat of our brutal summer months.  

It looks like they are doing okay under those umbrellas.  That puddle under the planters tells me they should be getting plenty of water.

Three Kinds of Desert Roses

 

As usual, I couldn't resist taking some photos of the Desert Rose blooms while I was at the Desert Botanical Garden on Sunday.  I found three different kinds.

These pretty pink ones are smaller than some of the other blooms.

The red ones are the most common ones I see in the garden.

The variegated ones are really pretty.  I can't say if I like one more than another.  To me they are all such pretty plants that seem to thrive in our desert heat.

I did see something that surprised me.  I found one desert rose plant that was actually planted in the ground.  I was talking with another member who was also admiring this plant and she said this is new.  The garden thinks there is enough protection in this spot that it should be able to survive any winter frost that we might get.  I'll keep my eye on this one.

A Thriving Desert Rose

 

Back in early March, I noticed this small Desert Rose Plant located in one of the outdoor spots at the Heard Museum.  I snapped a photo of it to show my friend Glenda who has one a similar size that still hasn't produced a bloom.  

Well, look at this little plant now.  I took this photo last Saturday when I was there.  This little plant is a super bloomer for sure.

More From the Garden

 

I love how at this time of year, the large agave plants capture the falling blooms from the palo verde trees.  Their big 'leaves' are perfect for capturing all kinds of things but I think those yellow petals are the prettiest.  

The yellow bells are blooming like crazy right now.  Those big clusters of blooms are hard for a photographer to resist.  

I also love finding a bloom on one of the many toothpick cacti around the garden.  That cactus blooms all year long so their pretty blooms can be enjoyed all year long.

The desert rose plants have once again been placed around the garden.  They are stored in a greenhouse over the winter months because they do not tolerate cold at all.  It's great to see their pretty blooms once again.

The Long Trail

 When I was at the garden that early morning, I took a hike on the long trail that leads past all the displays of how native peoples lived in the desert many, many years ago. I posted photos of those displays here. When I got to the little pond, I noticed they had cut down all the tall cattails that were growing around the pond.  Now I could actually see the water.

These yerba mansa plants all around the pond were blooming and looking very pretty.

Also while I was on that trial, I took another photo of the "hole-in-the-rock" formation.  You might remember that I posted a photo of this mountain in silhouette last month.  In this photo you can see that  hole very clearly.

Purple Blooms

 

There is a spot in the garden around the new exhibit gallery where the current orchid display is located and the entire area has new plants all around.  These purple spires are my favorite.  I couldn't find a sign on any of them to tell me the name of this plant.

The Google search calls this Mealycup Sage but when I read the description, it talks about narrow leaves.  This plant does not have narrow leaves.

So more searching ensued. I think this might be something called Blue Salvia or sometimes Mystic Spires.  

Do any of you plant experts know if that is true?

Whatever they are called, I love them.

In and Out

 

I was at my friend Glenda's house last Thursday evening and we took advantage of the mild weather to enjoy our drinks on the patio.  We noticed that some mockingbirds were busy going in and out of these shrubs that grow along the garden wall.  We decided that the birds must be building a nest inside those vines. 

I only had my cell phone with me so I snapped a few shots hoping I'd capture something.  I cropped these photos to bring the bird closer.  Here is one of the birds heading into the bushes with sticks in its mouth.  

And, here he is heading back out to gather more twigs.  We were out there for a little over an hour and there was a constant stream of activity.  They didn't seem bothered by us sitting near by but they were bothered by a couple of other birds who got too close.  They chased any other bird that flew too near the wall of greenery.

More Garden Observations

 

The desert spiny lizard in the top photo was a paparazzi favorite at the garden last Wednesday.  There was a crowd of 7 or 8 photographers pointing a variety of fancy lenses his way.  This fellow was loving the attention.  He was still posing there when I finally walked away.

At another location, these brilliant pomegranate blooms were looking especially attractive in full sun.  

 This prickly pear cactus was sporting an abundance of fruit. I snapped this photo using the telephoto on my camera.

Then I thought I'd try using that "portrait" mode on my iPhone that I learned about in the class I took a few weeks ago.  They give two different perspectives but I like them both.  

"Sparky" and Friends

 

I recently noticed some new plants blooming in the front of the complex where I live so yesterday morning I made a point of getting some photos.  These yellow bells with the red centers really stood out.  I didn't know what they were called so I did a Google search and was surprised to learn that the plant is a hybrid created by a professor at ASU by combing both yellow and red Tacoma plants.  It is called "Sparky" which also happens to be the name of the ASU mascot, Sparky the Sun Devil.  The blooms certainly do wear the ASU colors.  They also look a bit like an Arizona sunrise or sunset.  

While I was admiring the new plants, I saw that the Bird of Paradise plant had a new bloom.  I decided to take a photo of it too.  With the exception of that touch of purple, it's wearing those same colors.