Album Spring in the desert

[Nick]

Post your photos of spring coming to the desert.

Special rules for this one:

1. Post the date you took it!
2. Post where you took it!

This way we can see at a glance when things green up in various places and particularly when all the different cactuses and wildflowers start blooming.

These three photos were all taken on April 7, 1012 in Little Death Hollow. The leaves were just barely making their appearance.

 

[Udink]

Spring 2010 was the best season in memory for wildflowers in the desert. During a camping trip in early June, I was constantly amazed at all the flowers blooming in the San Rafael Swell. These were taken June 4, 2010. A carpet of purple lupine covered the desert near the Red Ledges south of Fuller Bottom.

 

[Bob Palin]

I've driven a couple of tours of Cathedral Valley in the last week (I drive for Backcountry Outfitters in Torrey), there are a few flowers showing up now, lots of vetch of course, but some other plants too.

Nice Paintbrush (4/4/12 - Fremont River Ford)

A primrose on the Glass Mountain in Lower Cathedral Valley (4/7/12)

I don't think I've ever seen a Buffaloberry bush in bloom before (4/7/12, South Desert Overlook, CV, CRNP)

 

[Yvonne]

a lot of Indian Paintbrush in bloom along the several trails in Capitol Reef. I took this one last weekend along Golden Throne Trail

Also spotty places with Dune Desert Primroses, Purplemats and Penstamon along the trails. I also saw lots of early stages of wildflowers along Pleasant Creek and it will take maybe a week or so until the buds appear and another week for them to be in bloom.

 

[Yvonne]

Spring 2010 was the best season in memory for wildflowers in the desert.

totally agree!! I've never seen so many wildflowers in some of the desert areas than in June 2010.
The whole area along Cottonwood Canyon Road was a yellow flower carpet of desert sunflowers and yellow beeplants mixed with globemellow.

 

[Nick]

Swett Creek, April 21, 2012

 

[Nick]

Trachyte Creek, April 20, 2012

 

[Yvonne]

how cool, the first claret cup cacti in bloom. :twothumbs: I can't wait to see the first cacti blossoms by myself

 

[Nick]

Trachyte Creek, April 20, 2012

Can someone tell me the name of this type of cactus?

 

[pixie1339]

Trachyte Creek, April 20, 2012

Can someone tell me the name of this type of cactus?


View attachment 2139

Whipple's Fish Hook Cactus

 

[intuitive cat]

Claret Cups on a ledge above the Escalante River. April 18th, 2012

 

[intuitive cat]

totally agree!! I've never seen so many wildflowers in some of the desert areas than in June 2010.
The whole area along Cottonwood Canyon Road was a yellow flower carpet of desert sunflowers and yellow beeplants mixed with globemellow.

that fall was equal in wildflower insanity. the entirety of Big Flat east of Escalante was nothing but sunflowers for the entire fall.
the reason was that we had an insane amount of snow that previous winter (for here - Boulder had 3 feet of snow on the ground from early december until april) followed by a wet season. Matter of fact, that season was SO wet that even though this last winter was seriously mild & dry, the Escalante & Aquarius Plateau water is still up over 100%.

 

[FourisTheNewOne]

Whipple's Fishhook on Comb Ridge - May 2008

Yellow Whipple's Fishhook by Clint Ireland Huffman, on Flickr

 

[Yvonne]

Trachyte Creek, April 20, 2012

Can someone tell me the name of this type of cactus?


View attachment 2139

maybe a whipple's fishhook, looks similar to one of them

 

[Bob Palin]

The only cactus I found were these two, having a hard time being sure what they are, they were right next to each other at the Temple of the Moon in Lower Cathedral Valley. I think the white one is a Whipple Fishhook based on the flowers and that it seems to have the central spine hooked. The purple one may be a Wright Fishhook based on the spread of the areoles, the pictures are inconclusive on whether the hooked spine is the central or the lower one which would tell us. It's early for Whipple to be blooming but it has been a very dry winter, Wright should be blooming now. I am sending the pictures to the author of my flower book who is a friend (Capitol Reef Wildflowers by Deborah J Clark - you can even get the book from me if you want one, my girlfriend sells them for Deb) I'll be there again on Wednesday and will try to get conclusive pictures, was a bit rushed last time and didn't know what I was looking for.


White Fishhook Cactus by Bob Palin, on Flickr


Pink Fishhook Cactus by Bob Palin, on Flickr

p.s. the colour of the flowers doesn't tell us anything conclusive, both can range from white to pink.

 

[NateGeesaman]

This is such a sweet thread! All the photos are awesome! Especially digging the legendary spring of 2010 picks from Udink and Miss Buffalo.

 

[Bob Palin]

More close up pictures of the above cacti were taken, I'm thinking they are Whipple but have sent the pictures to the expert. Found my first claret cup on the spur road out to Lower South Desert Overlook (Jailhouse Rock)


Hartnett, Claret Cup Cactus Mound by Bob Palin, on Flickr


Hartnett, Claret Cup Cactus (3) by Bob Palin, on Flickr

There are a couple more shots on Flickr.

It was a very grey day out there which was fine for flower photography but not so good for landscapes, I felt really sorry for my customers from England, they got their own weather!

 

[Yvonne]

wonderful to see the cacti in bloom again. I can't wait to capture some shots by myself in less than a month.

 

[Udink]

I covered a lot of ground last weekend and saw a handful of wildflowers. These are all from the third week in April 2012:

Fremont's Mahonia in Iron Wash, San Rafael Swell

Unknown flowers, Rattlesnake Butte, San Rafael Desert

Unknown, Cottonwood Wash, San Rafael Desert

Globemallow, rim of Cottonwood Wash, San Rafael Desert

Unknown, rim of Cottonwood Wash, San Rafael Desert

Claret Cup, near South Temple Wash, San Rafael Swell

 

[Bob Palin]

The only cactus I found were these two, having a hard time being sure what they are, they were right next to each other at the Temple of the Moon in Lower Cathedral Valley. I think the white one is a Whipple Fishhook based on the flowers and that it seems to have the central spine hooked. The purple one may be a Wright Fishhook based on the spread of the areoles, the pictures are inconclusive on whether the hooked spine is the central or the lower one which would tell us. It's early for Whipple to be blooming but it has been a very dry winter, Wright should be blooming now. I am sending the pictures to the author of my flower book who is a friend (Capitol Reef Wildflowers by Deborah J Clark - you can even get the book from me if you want one, my girlfriend sells them for Deb) I'll be there again on Wednesday and will try to get conclusive pictures, was a bit rushed last time and didn't know what I was looking for.


White Fishhook Cactus by Bob Palin, on Flickr


Pink Fishhook Cactus by Bob Palin, on Flickr

p.s. the colour of the flowers doesn't tell us anything conclusive, both can range from white to pink.

Well, no wonder I couldn't identify them , even after a second look. Dorde Wright (Wright's cactus) says that both are hybrids of Wrights and Parviflora. I think that settles it...