patricia emerson mitchell photography
the way I see the world
It is far too hot here, so I thought I’d share something from another time, location, and temperature. But would you believe this is from the desert? We went up into the high country and were quite surprised by the abundance of wildflowers and the arrival of snow. It was a fabulous day!
Sometimes I feel like I’m in a (figurative) desert. Today was one of those days. Because of that I decided to go back and take a look at images from the literal desert. I have a lot of images, and very little energy at the moment to bother with them, but I do love the colors of this plant. I think it’s Phacelia, although I’m not certain. I’m sure a desert pal or two could fill me in, though!
Purple & Green in the Desert, 3.27.18
Opuntia basilaris
Phacelia, 3.28.16
This isn’t a perfect shot of the Desert Five-Spot, but I wanted to at least show one with the inside showing so you could see … well … the five spots!
Desert Five-Spot, 3.30.16
… and a flower, of course.
The reason this flower (Eremalche rotundifolia (A. Gray) E. Greene) is called the “desert five-spot” isn’t clear here, but when it opens there are five red spots inside. You can barely see a bit of red if you look closely at the opening.
I wasn’t sure this was an Atrichoseris platyphylla (gravel ghost), but looking online at a site called “The American Southwest” site that identifies flowers, I guess it is. (I knew some others I had shot were, but I didn’t know that it had the red center. If I’m wrong, which would mean that site is wrong as well, please do fill me in!)
Gravel Ghost (I), 3.30.16
Yet another desert flower with which I will say goodnight. I noticed something funny when I was placing my left knee down on the ground: I clearly wasn’t the first to do that, and there was a rather comfortable indentation in the gravel where my knee fit perfectly!
I’m fairly certain this is a monkeyflower, and I’m thinking it might be Bigelow’s Monkeyflower.
Monkeyflower (I), 3.30.16
This is, I believe, Hop-Sage (and I’m naming it that unless I hear otherwise) also known as Grayia spinosa, from the Goosefoot Family. These are actually bracts, I think, rather than actual flowers. But of course you knew all of that already!
Hop-Sage, 3.29.16