This is the time of year when the desert blooms. I'm sure there are many people who think that a desert is an arid wasteland - and if you drive through only looking out the windows of the car that would seem to be the case.
Stopping along the road - walking down a trail in the early morning - looking very carefully, there are many flowering plants to see. Truly, desert walking fulfills the phrase 'stop and smell the roses' - however in this case it would be 'stop and see the flowers'.
I loved hunting out these small, colorful spots along the trail. It was almost like hunting for Easter eggs -- looking for a bit of color in amongst the green, brown, rust and other desert shades.
Don't you admire these hardy plants that survive on little water, bending with the wind, blooming in spite of what looks like a non-flower area?
And then there are those stickery, prickery cacti that say 'stay away from me'!
"The desert has a beauty all its own,
A rustic scene of something to behold.
As you look into what the winds have blown,
Extend it further out, it does unfold".
Lady Kathleen
