Tuesday 26 April 2011

Spring at the Sonora desert

While I was in Mexico, we had some relatives visiting from south Mexico, so we went around town showing them the city. One of the places we went was a small ecologic reserve outside of town. The place is a little like a zoo and a little like a ecologic center. It is very fun to visit, especially if you live in a different climate, because you get to see first hand the wildlife in the desert. We were really lucky because at that time spring was really showing and we got to enjoy all of the amazing displays that spring at the desert has to offer.

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The humming birds are abundant in spring


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The Sonoran desert is one of the hottest and biggest deserts of the world (Arizona and Mojave desert are small pieces of the Sonoran desert). Life is hard in there and plants struggle to survive, but there is one important thing to remember, even though is a desert, spring always means life and color. So, when the time comes there are plenty of blooms around and life awakens and fills everywhere.

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The sahuaros bloom as well


The flowers are a bit more rough than in other climates, as most of the plants are too, but this is just as expected from desert plants. They have to be tough to survive in those conditions. I think they are incredibly beautiful nonetheless.

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This one is called fireworks


Just as japan has the Sakura, in the desert we have our own version of spring bloom trees. Ours are called "Palo verde" (meaning green tree), it is a native species from our desert. The name of the tree comes from the unusual colored bark. These trees retain the green color on their trunk and their branches even when they have fully matured and have several years old, because the photosynthesis is carried on in the bark.

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The palo verde is the desert sakura


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Everywhere around the wilderness and also in many streets and houses we have a lot of of these trees blooming every year. The same as the sakura, the trees flower all at once in an impressive and beautiful demonstration that only last a week or two.

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The spring blooms in the desert are amazing


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It is an amazing sight to see them blooming every spring.



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16 comments:

  1. I love the desert flowers. Very nice!

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  2. Lovely photos! I love the hummingbird! Stunning!!

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  3. Great pictures, Fer. So many people think that a desert consists solely of sand, but you have definitely demonstrated otherwise.
    P.S. the cactus reminds me of Wily Coyote, Roadrunner, etc!

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  4. Very beautiful!

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  5. The Sononran Desert is beautiful in the spring. I do love the shuaro. Some of them look like brides.

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  6. Your bright, colorful photos really make me want to head to Mexico! Gorgeous! I've never seen the Sakura in bloom -- it must be breathtaking when they're all blooming at the same time, kind of like Forsythia here in the Midwest.

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  7. Those were lovely photos of the dessert, i am particularly impressed with the saguaro flowers. Those palo verde i got aquainted with because Noelle or 'ramblings from a dessert garden' always post it with wonderful compositions!

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  8. fer, It’s a very rainy Spring day so I thought it would be a good time to check in on you and the other Blogs I follow. Can not be out in the dirt so I am here at the computer. So nice to see all the photos of dessert life. I have spent time in the Arizona dessert and in the dessert areas of Baja Mexico. Plants are so different, yet all showing the beauty of creation. Thanks for posting them. Hope all is doing well for you in Japan. Everyday seems I see more problems on the TV with the radioactivity, etc. You are in my thoughts. Jack

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  9. I'd love to have humming birds in the garden!

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  10. Thank you very much! It is great seeing all the life around, even in the desert. There is a lot more to show, but I guess it will have to wait until I go there again.

    Jack ~ Thank you very much for your concern. It is very appreciated

    Sue ~ I do miss hummingbirds a lot, I think they would like my garden haha

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  11. These desert flowers are beautiful. I especially like the yellow palo verde sakura.

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  12. What a photo that top one is!

    Esther

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  13. Hola! He estado leyendo tu blog por un buen rato, nunca he comentado ni nada! yo tengo un balcón-jardín y vivo fuera de México también, sabía que eras de México, pero eres de Hermosillo? Yo también vivía ahí!! Me sorprendía cuando mencionaste el desierto de Sonora y luego el centro ecológico :-) Saludos!!!

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  14. Thank you very much! I think life in the desert can still be very beautiful

    Hola! que gusto saber que otras personas de hermosillo sigan el blog, gracias por visitar

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  15. Beautiful dessert plants and flowers! I always think that dessert in plain place full of cactus and dust!

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  16. I believe the Sonoran bursts into bloom as Namaqualand does? Are there bulbs and annuals/ephemerals?

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