DESERT FLOWERS...

There is not much "pretty" about the sand and heat of the desert, but once a year, the cacti put on a pretty spectacular show.  It's amazing that something so lethal can be so beautiful - even if just for a week or so.  I have been waiting for this year's bloom and, upon seeing some gorgeous pink flowers in the median the other day (and being bright enough not to stop my car in the middle of the road), I drove to Ethel M's Cactus Garden to see what was in bloom.  Ethel M's...they're not just for chocolate anymore!  They have one of the most beautiful cactus gardens in the United States, right here in our town.  Because REALLY, how many of the rest of you that are able to grow real plants would want our cacti?  We got em' - I guess we're stuck with 'em...seriously.  Jealous, huh?!

I was still just a little bit early for the full show, but the preview was gorgeous.  As always, click on the box of pictures and it will enlarge (if you see a magnifying glass with a +, click again and they get monstrous!).  The color of cactus flowers are exactly as bright as shown.

I wished I had had something to give you perspective on the size of the cactus in the upper right corner, but I was prevented from even getting near it by rocks and armed guards.  It was seriously only three inches tall, at the most, and yes, those little flowers are real...it looked like the ones we used to buy at the grocery store when I was a kid.  And, there really were no armed guards.  Just a sign that told me to stay on the path.  Probably the first time I've ever obeyed a sign.  When I go back, I will get a picture of the cactus that the needles supposedly jump at you...that's what that sign says, anyway.  I've never had the nerve to get close enough to that one to see if it's true or not...I definitely stay on the path at that point!

And a few flowers of my own, though the bottom two are my favorites.  My precious Golden Retriever, Joe, and his little buddy, Voltron! (with an exclamation point)...Joe is always smiling.  Plant a few flowers of your own this summer...I know that wherever you are, they will undoubtedly grow better than they would here!  Happy Tuesday...