When people talk about the Sonoran Desert it churns up visions of the movie Lawrence of Arabia. Endless sand dunes, rocks, and scorching heat. Well, that last part – scorching heat – is correct, but only part of the year. For most of the year, the weather is balmy and quite comfortable.
The truth is the Sonoran Desert which encompasses most of Arizona and a portion of Southern California looks nothing like the desert where T. E. Lawrence went to battle against the Ottoman Turks.
Our desert is quite green most of the year and in the spring - one of our two rainy seasons - the desert comes alive. Plants of all types sprout new growth and those that can flower proudly burst into colors of yellow, orange, purple, and white.
We went out for a walk a few days ago and stumbled across this lovely cactus adorned with white blooms.
The yard at our new house is small, but we still have room for a nice assortment of flowering plants.
Just outside my office window, my wife planted Lady Banks roses which grow quickly and can hug a fence or wall much like ivy. A few weeks ago, these healthy plants blessed us with a full array of flowers.
We also planted several Jasmine plants which are blooming nicely and providing a deep fragrance to our yard.
Our spring flowers are not just limited to home gardens or nurseries. In many places outside the reach of mankind, mother nature puts on her own display of color with flowering brittle brush, poppies, and lupine blanketing the hillsides.
The blooms will be short-lived. In a few weeks the summer heat with take hold and all but the heartiest of flowering plants will go back to sleep for another season.
Fortunately, some plants like Bougainvillea, Lantana, and Purple Sage will continue to flower all summer.
I know that our short spring season doesn’t compare to other areas of the country that are just beginning to show their summer colors. I also know that my pictures cannot compete with Roy Kelly’s collection of award-winning photographs.
Still, we take pride in our spring blooms and look forward to seeing them again next spring.
I bet T. E. Lawrence would be very impressed.
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