The Desert Flowers

-

Saguaro cactus flowers, Coronado National Forest, Arizona, USA


The desert blooms

Spring may yet to have sprung here in the UK, but across the Atlantic, in the US state of Arizona, the Sonoran Desert is coming into wildflower season. Soon the big daddy of the cactus world – the saguaro – will start to bloom. This amazing succulent is the largest cactus in the United States (it can grow higher than 50ft and weigh several tonnes, when it’s fully hydrated).
It can also live more than 100 years and will grow arms as it ages, creating that classic cactus profile associated with the desert and the Wild West. Its flowers are short-lived, typically blooming at dusk and remaining open only until the following morning. They form at the top of the plant and the tips of branches and are striking enough to be honoured as Arizona's state flower. They’ll go on to produce a red, edible fruit that will ripen by July.
(© Jack Dykinga/Minden Picture)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hinamatsuri— The Girl's Day

-
Image
Today is “Hina Festival”. “Hina Doll” It is a spring festival originally transmitted from China as "Kami". I t is called "peach festival" because it is performed at the time when peach blossoms bloom ... Originally, before the Heian period (almost 1,000 years back), it was performed regardless of gender in the same way as the Dango festival, but it gradually became a girl's festival. The custom of this day is to display dolls on a red carpet. The dolls with dresses of Emperor and Empress are placed at the top and the ladies with ministers are in lower rows of the shelf. It is said that the ebb and flow of the evil to the dolls and the doll play of the girls were linked. The Japanese are a bit superstitious here. They believe that if you're a girl and fail to take the dolls out of the shelf right after the festival, no one is going to marry you for a long period of time.  So hurry up girls!  Put the dolls away! ( © yoshi0511 / Shutterstoc)
Read more

The Colossal Splendour Of Conwy Castle

-
Image
Conwy Castle illuminated at night, Conwy Happy St David's Day! We’re celebrating St David’s Day here on the north coast of Wales in the spectacular walled town of Conwy. For more than seven centuries, Conwy Castle has towered over its narrow streets, against the mountainous skyline of Snowdonia. In its heyday it would have been white – lime render can still be seen on the walls – but even in its darker state it makes quite the impression, soaring out of a natural rock formation at the mouth of the River Conwy. Climb its battlements and you will be treated to sweeping views of the mountains, the sea, Conwy itself and the castle’s roofless Great Hall. You’re never too far from a castle in Wales – there are around 600 of them, many of which will be flying the Welsh flag on St David’s Day. Other ways to celebrate Wales’s patron saint include wearing a daffodil or a leek, the country's national emblems, taking part in parades, concerts or simply feasting on Welsh cakes,
Read more

Thousands Of Heavens Under Earth

-
Image
Divers at El Pit Cenote, located in Dos Ojos Natural Park, Quintana Roo, Mexico A different kind of dive The divers are descending the clear, turquoise waters of a cenote on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. A cenote is a sinkhole that’s created when the limestone bedrock collapses and exposes groundwater underneath, creating pools of fresh water that delight swimmers, and even cave divers. They’re diving in ‘El Pit’ Cenote, part of a flooded cave system near Tulum. It’s one of thousands of cenotes, documented on the Yucatán, and a popular spot for divers who come to swim through the brilliant sunbeams. (© Christia Vizl/Tandem Stills + Motio)
Read more