These days, over winter into early spring, are the best to visit the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. The temperatures are nice, the clouds supply nice contrast and depth, and the plants are deep green. The first wildflowers are peaking out, but not like what we will see in the next two months.

Update: These thorns and photos below were added in November 2022 while I was updating some of my oldest posts, ensuring that my copyright was on the images and that the colors were properly adjusted. In some instances, I update the text as I go along. Regarding this particular post, only the top photo and the three sentences were in the original post due to bandwidth limitations. As those restrictions are no longer relevant, I’m taking the opportunity to add the ones that would have been posted back then had circumstances allowed it.

The mighty saguaro is a protected cactus here in Arizona, and its blossoms are the state flower.

I can only wonder what kind of symbiotic relationship this cactus has in the desert; it’s obviously not food, although those javelinas do enjoy eating prickly pear cacti.

The diversity of flowers on cacti is astonishing.

Sure, I like the flower but the bee is beautiful.

All shapes and sizes with colors that draw from a wide palette. If you don’t appreciate cacti, I’d have to wonder how much of the delight of living in Arizona is lost on that person.