Fallen Leves in the Sky Islands — Image by kenne
Sky Islands are isolated mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and northern Mexico,
connecting two very different mountainous regions.
Sky Islands are places where you can see incredible plant diversity in only a few miles.
Twisted Wire In Doubtful Canyon — Image by kenne
there are, however, always a few brave
tufts of foliage
who dare to challenge the
infernal heat
and survive.
so too,
with people.
“Old Desert Men” (San Simon, Arizona, 12-01-12) — Image by kenne
— kenne
This summer, the Big Horn Fire caused so much damage to the National Forest
in the Santa Catalina Mountains remains closed to the public. Therefore,
hiking and photographing wildflowers in the Catalinas will not be in 2020,
which provides a good excuse to revisit some wildflower photos over the past ten summers.
Birdbill Dayflower — Image by kenne
“The flowers emerge one at a time from large, green to maroon-tinged, hairy to hairless,
folded, boatlike spathes (leaf-like bracts) with an elongated, tapering tip that resembles a bird’s bill.
The individual flowers have 3 blue petals, fertile and sterile stamens with blue, hairless filaments,
and 3 staminodes (sterile stamens) with yellow, cross-shaped antherodes (sterile anthers).
The lowest flower petal is somewhat smaller than the other 2 petals. The flowers only last for a day.
The flowers are followed by seed capsules that mature within the spathes. The leaf sheaths are
maroon-streaked and wrap the stems. The leaf blades are green, hairless to hairy,
and linear to linear-lanceolate in shape. The stems are green to maroon-tinged,
succulent, erect to ascending, and unbranched or sparsely branched.”
— Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and Plants
Cream Cup Wildflower (Platystemon californicus) — Image by kenne
This lovely wildflower often grows in the moist, sandy ground at the edges of desert washes.
These flowers are partly wind-pollinated and partly pollinated by solitary bees.
— kenne
