Wondering about Wildflowers??

Suz · Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 3186

I've got yellow, orange and purple wildflowers at the east end of US60! It's not like years past but maybe there is another place that's blooming.

Anybody thinking about hiking or searching for wildflowers tomorrow? (Thursday) Have car will drive!

BoyNhisDog · Posted: 3/14/2007, 7:49 pm Post subject:

I wandered the deserts around lake Powell for 6 hrs today and their are not many yet. There are some strange little bushes with no leaves that are blooming now. ?They have little dark purple flowers. I got a few good shots in the falling light of one excellent example. I saw another microscopic flower. I am thinking late April and early May up here. The weather was balmy and most excellent.
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Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

Shawn · Posted: 3/14/2007, 8:52 pm Post subject:

I think we need much more rain to have a crop. There'll be a few but not much without rain. Spring break?
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The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see.

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

Seeing a few around the lake.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

Suz · Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 3186

BoyNhisDog · Posted: 3/15/2007, 6:47 am Post subject:

I will when I get back home Suz as I am still in nothern AZ. I try to get something up by this evening. These are very interesting when they bloom, a real desert beauty. Gotta fly so hope to get this done later.
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Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

BoyNhisDog · Posted: 3/15/2007, 4:44 pm Post subject:

Okay, it was very cloudy to the west so I didn't get very good light. This is the plant from yesterday and it was starting to bloom;

I photographed one last year or the year before, I forget now, in better rain times. I am not sure which month though and this is it below. There was much better light and I got in close for a detail shot.

The flowers are deep, dark purple but they do fade out as they age. I like how the plant is so adaptive. I seems to be sort of an ancient thing. I don't know the name but like how it grows in such austere places.
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Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

azbackpackr · Posted: 3/15/2007, 4:45 pm Post subject:

OK, Arizona hikers, hear this and remember it! In order for the AZ desert to have great spring flowers there MUST be significant rain in Oct. and Nov.

Jan. and Feb. rains will not do. The rains must be in the fall to get the carpets of poppies, etc.

Down here in Yuma, on a peakbagging hike yesterday in the Gilas, I saw brittlebush, ocotillo, sand verbena, beavertail cactus and creosote in bloom. But mostly I saw lots of rocks!

azbackpackr · Posted: 3/15/2007, 4:48 pm Post subject:

OK so what happened did some post get deleted or something?

BoyNhisDog · Posted: 3/15/2007, 4:58 pm Post subject:

Liz I had to edit my post and somehow quoted it so all that got deleted was a copy of my picture post. Anyway, most of the people here are aware of the earlier rain issues but we are always looking for those little blooming gems. The big blooms don't come often but I like the little solitary finds and they will be out over the next few months in various places. When were were in the Anza Borrego, it was bone dry so no huge blooms as in the big rain times.
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Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

azbackpackr · Posted: 3/15/2007, 6:14 pm Post subject:

Anza-Borrego can be just incredible some years!

By the way, my Mordor photos are up.

Suz · Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 3186

azbackpackr · Posted: 3/15/2007, 6:34 pm Post subject:

Hey, let us know when you find out what it is. All my guidebooks are up in Eagar!

BoyNhisDog · Posted: 3/15/2007, 6:41 pm Post subject:

Liz the alluding to Mordor is very apt and I know what you mean when you say that. Broken rock rising from the desert plains and I have always been moved by the area.

Suz, that is going to be a great lens for you. I like your naturalist view. I did get a few good images yesterday and the light was good in some of them. I used a few new ideas but the time was too short. In the end I was late for dinner with the pilot so I called him and moved the time back. I was still running through the desert to make the second time. I should have just blown it off even later but he was very hungry.
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Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

Suz · Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 3186

food or photography dunno

food or photography?