Thursday, April 28, 2011

More Sonoran Desert April flowers

With my schedule clearing us I have had a lot more time to hike the desert lately.  Fortunately we have had very nice temperatures for the past several weeks.  One of my more recent trips was to Cottonwood Creek just west of Lake Pleasant NW of Phoenix.  Similar to my previous post perennials are in full bloom.  Creosote, Buckhorn Cholla, Teddy Bear Cholla, Strawberry Hedgehog, and Paper Flower are in full bloom.  I also found an extremely rare Buckhorn Cholla with red flowers.  I have literally walked past tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Buckhorn Chollas in bloom over the years and have only come across one red flowering plant.

Anyway, here are some of the flowers in bloom along Cottonwood Creek.

Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus

Teddy Bear Cholla

Paper Flower

The typical yellow colored Buckhorn Cholla flower.

A rare red Buckhorn Cholla flower.  Maybe one in a million or more.

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