Note: click on photo for larger view.

There are a number of reasons that we love living in Scottsdale, Arizona.  One of the reasons is the annual cactus bloom we find here in the Sonoran Desert.

Silver Cholla prior to the spring bloom.

When we first moved here, we were taken back by how scruffy the desert landscape appeared to our midwestern eyes.  We were accustomed to large deciduous trees, or massive evergreen trees, with small growth covering the floor of the forests.

Here, with the exception of our desert washes, there are no towering trees.  And, a great number of the plant materials are 3-5 ft high, are generally succulents of some sort, and are generally ratty in appearance.

However, in the months of April and May, these unsightly desert plants sprout some of the most beautiful flowers we’ve ever laid our eyes upon.

The photograph above, if I got my species correct, is a Silver Cholla.  Throughout most of the year, the Silver Cholla is a plant that defies you to come anywhere near it.  If you do, you can expect a very prickly hello.

However, as you can see in my photograph, during the spring bloom, the Silver Cholla becomes a very beautiful plant.

As we walk around our neighborhood in the mornings, we’re faced with one of creation’s greatest dichotomies: ugly plants producing incredibly beautiful flowers.  It’s a glorious contrast.  It really is!

If you’re a lover of springtime blossoms, you really should come experience springtime in the Sonoran Desert.  You’ll be glad you did!  🙂

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