The scary cholla cactus

Dead cholla look like staggering zombies!

It's been awhile since I've written about the cholla cactus, pronounced choi-a. But they've been catching my eye lately because they start blooming in April, producing spots of beautiful color in the middle of their nasty, scary barbed spines.

They're shaped like small trees, but their jointed branches easily break off, sticking to you if you bump into them and their barbs latch into you. You can't pull it off with your hand because then it will stick on that hand, so hikers are advised to carry combs and tweezers to remove the branches. That's why they're given wide berth by hikers. In six years of desert hiking here I've never bumped into one because I'm really careful.

Here are a few from my recent hikes. There are about 20 different types of cholla, with descriptive names like teddy bear cholla, jumping cholla and buckhorn cholla.

Looking closer, you can see how thick some of them are with spines!

Looking closer.

Here are some of the beautiful blooms. I've seen them in pink, orange, red, purple and yellow.

The skeletal branches of dead cholla are interesting ...

... and are incorporated into a lot of art pieces like this wall hanging that I made from native plant materials.

Here's a link to another post I wrote about the cholla, and it gives more info:

the-nastiest-cactus-cholla.html

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Halfway done with my 70 hikes!

 

I checked off hike number 35 this morning on my challenge to do 70 hikes in a year after turning 70 last December! For the occasion I wore my "Life Is Better In the Desert" t-shirt.

Here I am resting on a bench to catch my breath after climbing the steep hill at the beginning of the Canyon Loop Trail, which is my favorite. It's only two and a half miles, but it goes through a variety of very scenic Sonoran Desert terrain in Catalina State Park.

I'll show you why it's my favorite hike. These pictures are in order, starting with what hikers see after topping that hill. A beautiful desert panarama greets you, with our impossibly blue sky, Santa Catalina Mountains, tall saguaro cacti and lush Sonoran Desert brush.

After a mile or so of flat hiking through terrain like this, you come to two benches just before the trail takes a steep drop into the canyon. I always stop here to take in the view. Today I was the only one there, but sometimes there are a dozen people and dogs stopping to rest, take photos, and compare notes.

Then it's down a zig-zagging flight of about 100 stairs. If your joints can't handle stairs, there's also a trail without stairs designated for horses that you can take.

Looking up at a yucca from partway down.

Then it's a very pleasant winding walk through the canyon, where I always make another stop at my petroglyph rock. Here I sit for awhile and take off my hat and glasses so I can feel the cool air on my head.

It's shady and quiet here, so today since I was alone I sat on a rock for about half an hour enjoying the coolness and dappled sunlight. The stream's water level is way down and hardly moving.

This butterfly was on the ground near my rock. Half of its wing was missing, so it was having trouble flying. I hope it did okay after I left.

Most of the wildflowers are past blooming. This is a cholla cactus.

Then you come to the majestic saguaros rising above the canyon. The one below has some gnarly twisted growth going on in its center.

After emerging from the canyon the trail continues on, winding and flat, through iconic desert scenery.

Toward the end what used to be lush green grasses have turned golden around the mesquite trees.

Then you're back at the trailhead, where I took some pictures of the plant identification guide and met a couple from North Carolina who come here to bird. They told me where to see a nest with two baby owls, but by that time I just needed to get home and eat.

I hope you enjoyed your virtual hike!

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Desert color on the cool side

Palm oasis, shady and cool

Everything in the desert isn't hot, and I'm proving it by showing you some plants on the cool green-blue-purple side of the color wheel (and maybe a little pink). I found them all last week on a lazy stroll through Tohono Chul Gardens in Tucson.

I don't know the names of all of the plants, but I'll label what I'm sure of.

Velvet pod mimosa tree, 

which was new to me

Desert willow tree

The saguaros are starting to put out their creamy white flowers! I spotted this white winged dove on top of a tall saguaro.

I also watched this little hummingbird fly over my head and settle into her tiny nest! I was sitting in a stream side chair when I noticed her. The nest wasn't more than six feet above me and she seemed totally unperturbed when people stopped to marvel at her!

A worker there told me that hummingbirds build their nests from spider webs (and sometimes they eat the spiders). This makes the nests very elastic, so they fit snuggly around the babies and expand as needed. I had no idea!

Tohono Chul is dotted with cool, shady spots like this shelter made of branches from the surrounding desert where you can relax and listen to the birds. One of my favorite sound spots is in the video below, where water trickles from hanging pots. It's always a peaceful respite.

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I love ORANGE!

Detail, "Study In Orange" by Sherrie Spangler

I love the energizing color orange! Lately I've been noticing more orange in nature, so I decided to go on an orange photo safari these last couple of days.

At Tohono Chul Park today a peachy orange butterfly contrasted with the lime green and lavender plant on which it was perched.

In my yard this morning, a beautiful soft apricot flower opened on my prickly pear and a matching oriole perched on a nearby yucca stalk.

On the hot side of orange, a Lady Slipper and Mexican Bird of Paradise look scorching!

Sunset also brings oranges -- on Pusch Ridge in the east reflecting the sunset and in the west across the street from my house.

Orange is a warm, vibrant, energizing color that makes me happy. It's also associated with creativity, which might be why I'm especially drawn to it. I use it a LOT in my art!

The transparent silk organza that I painted in oranges and buttercup seems to float above a white mat. I tear off pieces and use it in my quilts and other fabric art.

Looking around my house, I'm realizing that almost all of my art uses a lot of orange.

My orange "party pants" pair nicely with some orange and blue quilt blocks that were left over from another project. Unfortunately, I've outgrown the party pants.

Orange and blue is one of my favorite combos. Since they're opposite each other on the color wheel (being complementary colors) they make each other sizzle.

Quilt detail of hand painted cotton

The person who painted this courtyard wall near my house must have thought the same thing. It's a classic color combination here in the Southwest, echoing our orange desert rocks and bright blue skies.

Have a colorful day