Flowers of the Southwest :: Winter Sojourn 2014/15

Copyright 2015, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Mostly I have photos of rocks and mountains and more rocks from our months in the southwest.

But, let's look at some flowers of the southwest taken over the last few weeks.  Some are the same kind of flowers, but, taken in different locales.

From near Hoover Dam, Lake Mead:

Valley of Fire, near Las Vegas Nevada. See that out crop of stone?  Center, near the curve in the road.  Standing up there by itself?  (I really should have put an arrow on this photo!  LOL)

Well, lookie what I saw about 30 foot off the roadway, yes, some type of barrel cactus, popping out of a little divit, give it a foothold, it will grow.  Look hard, it's there.  Really!

Also in Valley of Fire:

At Zion National Park, Weeping Rock area.

St. George Utah:

Also St. George:

Kanab, Utah:

Pipe Springs National Monument, I know, not a flower, but, just as pretty, eh?

More Kanab:

Page Arizona.  Buds, soon flowers.

Hike to Toadstools area of Paria, Utah:

Secret Slot Canyon, Page Arizona. By the way, this is akin to rheubarb:

Capital Reef Utah:

Capital Reef:

Capital Reef, flower on a cactus, a barrel type cactus:

Another from Capital Reef, just buds at this point:

Devil's Canyon, Utah, these are very small, maybe 4 inches diameter, at the most.  White, yellow and pale lavender.

Moab, Utah:

Also Moab, Arches National Park:

More from Arches:

Needles Overlook, part of Canyonlands National Park, again, this is rather small, maybe 8 inches diameter, and happy to have it's feet in a crack.

Spring flowers, spreading joy, all across the southwest.




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Wordless Wednesday, Pristine White With a Touch of Yellow

A rose.

*Be sure to check out Linda's fabulous Tradescantia--Spiderwort over at Flipside today.  No spiderworts in Reflection's gardens so sharing with you a rose.  Photo taken in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Michigan last week.

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

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Wordless Wednesday, Flipside, Refections Has NO Answer Today

Well, Linda from Flipside got me today.  She posted her Jack-in-the-Pulpit today, as usual great photos.  But, alas, Reflections has no response, maybe I shall have to visit the nursery and see if I can find one to add to my own garden?

So, here is my offering of the day.  This small delight was growing in a berm at the grocery store.  I am sure many would consider a weed.  Name, unknown.  My reward for running errands??  Nice reward!

*Today at Reflection's Flora and Fauna, Bob's"B", the Bird Nursery. Wordless, of course.

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

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So Many Photos, Whats a Gal to do??

I just know you already have guessed.  Yep, design a new outlet, errr, blog, for the excess.

It seems I have become addicted to my camera. I cannot leave the house without it, errands to run, no matter, take it with me, I might find something real interesting on the way to the store. 

If I don't take the camera, for sure something catches my eye and I either miss the opportunity, or I go get the camera and return for my photo.  That is not too bad till there is over 1/2 mile between camera and photo op.  Ya, I went and got the camera, returned for photo, and walked back to the truck.  Went from a 1 mile walk to 2 miles.  Tis ok, I need the exercise! 

Lately when I download my photos I go, ooooo, would love to use that one, ooooo, there is another, and another and  - - - - -

And, I love sharing them here at Reflections, but there really are too many.  What to do??

Thunderbolt, idea, why not???  How bout, this way, nope, that way, nope, what way??

And, thus is born, Reflection's Flora and Fauna.  Oh, yea, another blog!  Currently dubbed an experiment, subject to change as I tweak the colors, the ideas, the project.

Shown here, the bud stage of my "so dark purple it's almost black" iris.  A photo (or two) of the bloom fully open can be found on the new blog. 

I hope you will join me over at Reflection's Flora and Fauna.  Don't fret, you will still see some flowers here at Reflections, but Flora and Fauna will allow me to share more.

*I am as much surprised at this new blog as you might be, I never intended to split up my life, err blog.  Gosh, one never should say never.

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

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Reflection Quick Notes, I am Headed to the Garden

It rained here, over 4 inches worth, on Friday.  Yesterday was one of those mixing days, a little sun, then more clouds, then some spitting moisture (is that Mother Nature saying 'blah'??).  I spent most of the day surfing over at FamilySearch, filling in some MIA data and finding some marriages in places where I did not expect to.  Oh, and my to do list grew, of course, now I want IMAGES to go with those dates!

Today, is sunny and, yep, it is gonna be warm (maybe even hot), but, I am going to try to do some yard work and gardening anyway.

Tomorrow is Karen's turn for Relatively Speaking.  I just know she has something interesting to tell us, she has been away researching and cemetery stomping (in the rain) all week.  Can't wait to read what she has to say.

In the meantime, a columbine from my flower beds, I love columbine, but, they sure don't stay where you put them! 

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

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It's Iris Time

My iris are just starting to bloom.  My first bloomers are these smaller pale purple ones.

Leaf structure is about 12 inches tall, the bloom itself is about 3 inches across.  Look, close, I caught a bug in there dining.  See:

This yellow/white iris is about twice the size, leaf and flower. This beauty is so heavy when they are in full bloom, they have a very hard time staying upright.  I have tried to tie them up, with little success, best solution, cut a HUGE bouquet and bring them in and ENJOY!

This sunshine hurt your eyes yellow iris is a new purchase/addition

 to my flower beds.  Photo does not do justice.

*Photos taken with the new Sony, on macro setting.  I have been a tad unhappy with capturing flowers when trying to stand closer than 5 foot.  Not sharp enough for me, and quite hard to get in focus.  So, the other evening I tried something new, use Macro setting, for 1 to 5 foot distances. Seems to be the answer for me, that said, I am still experimenting.  Practice, practice, practice.  Tough assignment, but someone has to do it!  LOL

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

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Wordless Wednesday--Visitors in the Garden, Reflections Take, A Few Words

Flipside's Linda's Wordless Wednesday--Visitors in the Garden, has three great photos.  One has a bee on a flower, next is a butterfly and her last offering has 2 bugs (flies?) on a leaf (I am guessing a hosta leaf).  I am skipping the butterfly.

*Bee on pink taken last fall, not my garden, with the Cannon

**Spider in green taken a few weeks ago, down by the pond on our property, with the Sony

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence
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Lillies to be Sentimental Over

This Sentimental Sunday entry is dedicated to my grandmother, Minnie Agnes Halterman Trumbo.

These are lillies (exact botanical name unknown) that Minnie gave me many many years ago - - over 20 years ago.  They are grown in a tightly packed pot and are very fragile as far as temperatures go, so no, these are not like a tulip that must experience some cold weather to bloom.  These are the exact opposite, as freezing temps, cold weather, will finish these beauties off. 

These lillies are so dear to me that I take them with me each winter that we are able to escape in Tana.  I like to have them outside of Tana, but if cold weather threatens, I drag them into Tana until the weather moderates.  This last winter they spent a LOT of time inside Tana. 

They bloom in the early spring, as you can see, these photos were taken during the last 18 days or so.  They get a lot of leaf structure over the summer, I keep watering.  Then in the fall you can cease the watering and the leaf structure dies back.  Come late winter, watering is resumed.  The last few years I have actually continued watering (lightly) most of the winter and the leaf structure did not totally die back.

This last fall though, when we arrived in Gulf Shores, I discovered, to my horror (yep, HORROR, as I am sentimental about these lillies, the thought of loosing them is horrifying to me), I discovered that my lillies had some fuzzy white nasty buggy thing.  This white buggy thing had infected many of my house plants, and I have sadly lost quite a few.  So, I sprayed the lillies with a bug killer and prayed.  The leaf structure died back all winter long, I was continuously removing dead leaves and fearing the worse. 

By the time we were ready to leave Gulf Shores the lilly was pathetic, basically a pot full of small bulbs and dirt.  I watered heavily with soap and water (to kill any other little nasties picked up while outside), placed the lillies in the bath tub of Tana for the ride home.  There is a sky light in the tub, and I have learned that my violets do not do well in there - - their delicate leaves burn - - even though we have some bubble wrap up there to diffuse the sun.  But, when we arrived home, I was delighted to see that Minnie's lillies loved that diffused light from the sky light.  When I started carrying my plants back into the stick built, I pulled out the lilly and behold, I have buds, just 4 of em, but they are buds!  Can we spell relief??  YAA!!

Since then the lilly has been blooming continuously.  Right now there are at least 8 full blooms and even though I did not count them, I believe there have been at least 3 times that already.

Minnie's lillies, yes, I am very sentimental over them. 

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

The Hurry Up of Spring, Michigan Style

Man and I have been back at the stick built in Michigan for 17 days, give or take, just a bit over 2 weeks.  The flowers and shrubs have been hurrying right along, forsythia in full bloom when we arrived, now, past prime.  Daffodils, just about finished for the year. No tulips when we got home, my 3 sad loners have since popped up and have been blooming every day since.  My wild violets have gone wild!  The flowering crabs bloomed too, one in the front yard was probably as pretty as it has ever been. 

I have been taking photos of some of the plants in the different stages of bloom.  Got this idea from Linda at Flipside, who posted a Wordless Wednesday one week of a flower from bud to full bloom.  Neat idea Linda, thanks!  I created a couple of collages with the best of the best.

Above is my Korean Spice.  The photo top left was taken on the 20th of April.  Bottom right, yesterday.  Middle, today.  Now, if I could only share the scent!  Heavenly!

Above, (ya, I know, not a collage) is my white star magnolia.  Both the white and pink star magnolias were sparse on the blooms this year.  The pink is such a pale pink that it is difficult to tell the difference between the two.

Above, the other collage.  Bleeding hearts, top left was taken April 14th, top right was taken April 20th and the large photo, taken with the macro lens was taken April 29th.

Yep, spring is moving fast round here. 

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

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Wistful Wisteria

Wisteria, I have been told, does grow in the northern climes.  OK.  Gotta say, tho, wisteria in the south is more than special.

*Photos taken with the Cannon, in and around Oyster Bay Alabama.

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

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