wickenburg-az.com » flowers

Calliandra Eriophylla is Native to the Wickenburg Area

Allan Hall — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:00:57 +0000

Bright red Baja Fairydusters have become a popular shrub for desert gardeners in recent years, but the Wickenburg area is host to a diminutive native species that deserves your attention during spring hikes. The local variety, (Calliandra eriophylla), can be found in bloom in March and April on rocky hillsides near town.

These little shrubs are easily missed — until they begin blooming, that is. Wickenburg’s native variety may reach heights of only two feet, but produce many pink “puff-ball” flowers like those shown in the photo. These are extremely hardy plants. They are well adapted for survival in hot, dry conditions.

What’s Blooming Now: Cactus Flowers

Kathy Block — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:05:11 +0000

Here are some spring cactus blooms in our yard. I took the photos as soon as I saw the blooms, as cottontail rabbits eat every bloom they can reach!

Prickly Pear Cactus Flowers

This first show shows two different prickly pear cactus flowers. Prickly pear cactus flowers appear in a variety of colors, from pale yellow to bright fuchsia.

Cholla Cactus Flowers

There is also a wide variety of types of cholla. This one features large, pink flowers.

What’s Blooming Now: Hedgehog Cactus

Maria Langer — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:23:04 +0000

Cactus flowers are often more spectacular than desert wildflowers. Unlike wildflowers, however, cacti bloom faithfully every year, not depending much on winter rains to produce flowers.

In this second installment of my “What’s Blooming Now” series, I begin exploring the many bright colors of cactus flowers, starting with the hedgehog cactus.

Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus

Strawberry hedgehog cactus in bloom in the desert southeast of Wickenburg. Photographed on April 7, 2010. (Click for a larger image.)

Among the first cactus to bloom in the Sonoran desert each spring is the strawberry hedgehog cactus. This small, low-growing cactus features clusters of green cylindrical stems covered with long spines ranging in color from cream to reddish to black.

The flowers grow from the top of the cactus and appear in vivid shades of magenta. Three inches wide, they’re impossible to miss among the desert vegetation. They bloom for several days and then produce a small, red, edible fruit.

The claret cup cactus is similar in appearance but produces a smaller, red-orange flower. Although it does not normally grow at Wickenburg’s elevation, I’ve seen several specimens in landscaped gardens around town.

What’s Blooming Now: Mexican Gold Poppies

Maria Langer — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:56:48 +0000

After a long, rainy winter, we’ve been rewarded with an abundant collection of wildflowers. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing my photos of what’s blooming in the Wickenburg area with wickenburg-az.com readers. I urge you to get out and about in the desert to enjoy nature’s colorful display.

Poppies

A closeup shot of Mexican Gold Poppies, photographed near Aguila, AZ on March 21, 2010. (Ciick for a larger view.)

Poppies are among the first flowers to appear in the desert in the springtime. I’ve had poppies appear in my yard as early as January! This year, however, they began blooming in March and, as I write this, are still blanketing hillsides with their bright yellow flowers.

The most common type of poppy in Arizona is the Mexican Gold Poppy. It grows at elevations below 4,500 feet on slops, plains, foothills, and mesas. The plants grow from seeds each year and bloom in full sunlight only, closing each night. After pollination, the plants produce long seed pods with many tiny dark seeds. When the pods dry, they “pop” to spread the seeds.

Poppies blanket a hillside on the east side of Vulture Peak on March 28, 2010. (Ciick for a larger view.)

You can see poppies just about anywhere around Wickenburg. Some landscape companies consider them weeds and will remove them when performing landscape maintenance. But you have to admit that they’re a beautiful addition to our natural landscape for the few weeks we get to enjoy them each year.