Photos and comments from Arizona and around the world
I was taught never to pick wildflowers. So I have to enjoy my bouquets of daisies in the wild and in photos. There are few flowers that are as cheerful as these in their various forms and colors. Here is my gift to you today to cheer your heart and brighten...
This isn't a yucca plant, nor is it an agave and it isn't a cactus. It does fall in the overall category of succulents, but it is a tough desert dweller that has a variety of uses. The teeth along the perimeter of the leaves are very sharp but not so...
When I was heavily involved in art, as an art major at the university, I enjoyed all of the fantastic variety of works that had been created throughout history. I even appreciated abstract art and the so-called modern art. I particularly like Mondrian,...
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Some types of cactus seem to have a propensity to genetic variations technically called fascination. There is a very nice collection of cactus at the Carefree Desert Gardens, north of Scottsdale, Arizona. This type of variation is rare in some species...
Exfoliating granite makes some of the most organic looking rock formations. This is one of those arrangements that catch your eye and make you stop to look. We were driving down the highway and just had to pull over and take a picture of this unusual...
We had a rather spectacular fire in Mesa the other day. You can read about it here. My grandson and I were out on a project and saw the fire and unfortunately decided to drive and see what it was all about. I say unfortunately, because we got caught in...
We don't really have to go much further than our gardens or the edge of the desert to see what dinosaurs looked like. Granted, these zillion generation descendants are not really related to the giant fossil guys, but it is always comforting to think that...
Here is one of the most puzzling questions about the desert; why do cactus have spines? The evolutionary explanation is that they are modified leaves, but why not just lose the leaves altogether? Why long sharp spines? The few animals that eat cactus,...
Do you see a heart of darkness or a heart of light? What you see depends on your attitude, your cumulative life experiences and your faith in the future. This is another in the series of photos by Amberly. I can't tell if the picture is a fortuitous accident...
My guess is that this cactus grows where the desert is very dry, but near an ocean where a fog comes in periodically. The fringes likely capture moisture from the air and the droplets then collect and run down the ribs of the cactus to provide water to...
This is not a rose and technically, those aren't thorns, they are spines, but the saying sort-of works if you don't think about it too long. One of imponderables is why cactus flowers are so beautiful and the plants so defensive? We live in a very strange...
This photo marks the commencement of a collaboration with a talented young photographer from Texas. Hopefully, she will continue to create more the outstanding photos I have already seen and will share here on Walking Arizona. Let me know if you would...
During most of my teenage years and off and on for the rest of my adult years, I was a rock climber. In later years, my climbing was limited to teaching rappelling, but I can relate to these folks climbing that central spire. You might have to click on...
You get a perspective from the top of a mountain that you cannot get anywhere else. This huge panorama is on Pike's Peak in Colorado looking towards the east. You will have to click on the image to see the detail. I climbed my first "mountain" when I...
This is another contributed photo from Amberly, the Texas photographer. You can get some interesting effects by leaving your camera shutter open for an extended time at night. On older cameras this used to be called "bulb" because of the cable used by...
This is another contribution from the Texas photographer. Her name is Amberly. See if you can guess how these photos are made. We call it painting with light. I expect she will have more of these in the future. This type of photography is disassociated...
In the desert, most of the animals are active at night. Many of the cactus bloom at night and so sunrise is a transitional period. The birds and small animals are active, but looking for a place to spend the heat of the day. Within a few hours, the temperature...
Early morning in the desert is a good time to try to find small animals. Rabbits have veins in their ears that help keep their bodies cooled down in the heat. Depending on who or what you are, rabbits are either cute, food or a pest. This one is definitely...
I am always fascinated by seeing the moon in broad daylight. It is like a small round cloud and it is interesting to watch it transform into a brilliant light in the sky as dusk comes and the light from the sun dims. I have to admit this is a composite...
These are not your common garden-type water lilies. You can get an idea of the size from the center photo. They grow in huge rafts on the Mississippi River but stay a respectable distance from the shore. Each of the pads are about 14 to 18 inches across...
The Carefree Desert Garden in Arizona is a treasure house of rare cactus variations. Cresting is an extremely rare condition and this is the first and only crested barrel cactus I have seen in my lifetime of walking through the desert. Normally, the cactus...
There are two areas of these remarkable rocks a short distance from each other. One is the head of the famous Camelback Mountain and the other is this collection of huge rocks called Papago Park. This rock is extremely familiar to me because we frequently...
I appreciate abstract impressionism, but I am not a painter. But what I have learned is that you can paint with light and a camera. The reflections in this small stream take on a whole new life with a little light and shade from the sky. To find this...
I have been drinking out of hand pumps most all of my life. Although this one is broken, many of the original pumps, from the 1800s are still serviceable and in daily use. There is something elegant about the form. It is one of the most organic designs...
