MacDougal Nipple Cactus — Image by kenne
MacDougal Nipple Cactus (Mammillaria heyderi var. macdougalii) is a large, flattened
cactus that grows on hillsides in the desert grassland above 4000 ft elevation.
The large yellow flowers usually open in a full ring.
— kenne
Cholla Cactus Spines — Photo-Artistry by kenne
The spines of a cholla are actually modified leaves that help protect the surface of
the cactus from preditors. A surprising function of cacti spines is to provide shade
for the cactus itself, yes, shade. Each spine casts a shadow on the cactus as the sun
moves across the desert sky.
— kenne
Pincushion (mammillaria) Cactus Fruit — Image by kenne
This small cactus is ubiquitous in Sabino Canyon and can be more easily spotted
this time of year because most ground cover around it has dried up.
Pincushion cactus
Beautiful blossoms and fruit
To often overlooked.
— kenne
The Big Squeeze — Image by kenne
The Big Squeeze — Photo-Artistry by kenne
— kenne
Cactus Digital Art — by kenne
— Jean-Paul Sartre
Saguaro Love — Image by kenne
— kenne
Each spring the white-winged doves return from wintering in Mexico and the air is filled with their mating calls. The hoots and coos are so common they sometimes drown out the sounds of other birds.
The return of the white-winged doves plays a very important role in the life cycle of the saguaro cactus. When saguaros flower, white-winged doves move from flower to flower, sipping nectar and pollinating the plant.
Once the flowers become fruit, the doves have a new food source. The sweet fruit is filled with thousands of tiny seeds, which pass unharmed through the digestive system of the dove. If seeds are passed while the dove is perched on a tree or bush, that tree or bush might become a nurse plant to the growing saguaro. Such a plant protects the young saguaro from extreme weather and animals and greatly increases its chances of survival.
For the Tohono O’odham, the saguaro cactus and its fruit (bahidaj) is a very important part of their heritage. The towering saguaro cactus provides both physical and spiritual sustenance for the people. With temperatures now over 100 degrees, the bahidaj is now ripening and being harvested by the Tohono O’odham. (Images by kenne)
— kenne
White-winged Dove Abstract Art by kenne
Late Spring Flowers in the Desert — Images by kenne
(Click on any of the tiled images for a larger view in a slideshow format.)
“Sonoran Heat” — Computer Painting by kenne
The Path of Dreams
There were no trails where I walk.
I walk the desert, poor and broke
thinking of family in Mexico.
Continuing north, I make a path
around the cactus and desert brush.
The sun, still low in the east,
temperature now rising faster
than the morning sun.
Low in water, I find an
old mesquite tree to rest
in its shade until late afternoon.
Then, I will continue following
the path of my dreams —
carefully watching for
green and white trucks.
— kenne
“Desert Silhouette” — Image by kenne
— Lord Byron
How Do You Define, “Survivor?” Saguaro High On A Cliff — Image by kenne
Cactus Wren Nest in a Cholla (Sabino Canyon) — Image by kenne
— Walt Whitman
Christmas Cholla (Sabino Canyon, December 26, 2016) — Images by kenne
The Christmas cactus common to the Sonoran Desert is the Cylindropuntia leptocaulis. It’s a Christmas cholla. It got its name because the red fruit on the pencil-thin joints appears from November into March.
— kenne
Saguaro Cactus in the Tucson Mountains — Image by kenne
Blackett’s Ridge Trail Sunset Over Tucson — Image by kenne
— kenne
