A Moment in the Sun

Spring time in the desert is so beautiful. I was really hoping that I didn't miss it this year to grab a few shots of the hills. Sad to say I was a week too late. All that was left were a few shrubs with there lemony yellow blooms left. My mother-in-law has a green thumb and on their property there were still a few cactus that were still in bloom. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take photos to share with you.

The cactus above stands about four feet tall and 6 feet long. It's so enormous that you can't see their koi pond on the other side of it. In the first photo you can see the water cascading down to a little fall to help aerate the water. I tried to get a photo of a bee in a bloom collecting all the pollen. I've never taken the time to watch something like that before. He rubs himself in and out of the tubes and the pollen are gathered on either side of his abdomen like yellow saddle bags. 

 This goes to show that something beautiful can come out of something ordinary. It always amazes me how vibrate the blooms are in sharp contrast to the brown of the desert. The barrel cactus below has a ring of blooms on top of it and I wish I could be there to see the full crown when it's open. It kind of reminds me of artichokes the way they are now.

The grease wood above is what is still in bloom in the surrounding area. They have such delicate little flowers I only wished that they had an odor. I guess it's the colors that are important and not the smell. 

I love the photo above and all the different elements together. The daisies are the natural weeds that pop up the first of spring and what normally last the longest. I've seen hill sides covered in a blanket of yellow and white. 

No blooms on this one I just had to take a picture of this beast. The cactus sits at their backdoor and is well over 4 feet tall and about 3 feet wide. You can see all the little baby cactus at ground level. We have a baby of this plant in a pot outside our front door. I noticed that it grows the size of the container. Thank goodness because I don't know what I would do with something that large.

I hope that all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day. You guys have the hardest job and know that you are appreciated and loved.

xo-Albee