xerophilous

adapted to a very dry climate or habitat, or to conditions where moisture is scarce

anyone know what these flowers are?

Photos are from my trips to Arizona in Decembers of 2012 and 2013.

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "X." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun!  



photos by me  © 2012 and 2013  all rights reserved

jagged

jag' ged adjective: >with rough, sharp points protruding

>marked by irregular projections and indentations on the edge or surface  >having ragged notches, points, or teeth; zigzag >having a sharply uneven edge or surface

synonyms: jaggy - toothed - indented - ragged - dentate - rugged

All jagged photos below were taken in the Superstition Mountains and at the Aviation Museum on a recent trip to Arizona.

Superstition Mountain from Lost Dutchman State Park 

The Superstition Mountains are located in the Sonoran Desert east of Phoenix.  The main peak is 5057 feet (1541 meters).  This photo shows the volcanic rock formations on the western end.   The mountain is an old and inactive "super volcano."  Lost Dutchman is named after a most famous lost gold mine.

The Aviation Museum has 2 hangers full of planes as well as planes outside.  Featured are planes from WWI to the Vietnam War.  One can even takes rides in some of them! 

LINKS:
Lost Dutchman State Park 
Superstition Mountain 
photos and hiking map of Superstition Mountain 
Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing Aviation Museum 

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "J."  Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun!
 




photos by me © 2012

Desert Haiku

rocks tumble downward

plunging over sage green shrubs

silent moon gazes 

photo:   somewhere in Salt River Canyon, Arizona

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "H"  Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun!
 

I'm also linking up with SkyWatch Friday hosted bySylvia and Sandy.  Come join us in this awesome meme, link up, and meet folks from all over the globe. 

photo by me © 2012  haiku by me © 2013

Desert Scenes: Fish Creek Canyon

exploring Fish Creek Canyon near Phoenix, Arizona...

sky growls overhead

rocky road winds on and on

adventure awaits

Fish Creek

red rock so dotted
with spiny sage green prickles
kiss speckled blue sky

jaunty white petals

with cheery yellow centers

swaying breezily

I'm so happy Ms Jenny has decided to do another round of Alphabe-Thursday! This is such a fun meme!  Thank you, Ms Jenny!  Come and join in the fun!  You will be charmed and even enlightened in a delightful way!  See more entries HERE. This week our letter is "D." 

photos by me © 2009
haiku by me © 2011
 

xeric

dry or desert like conditions, having very little moisture with average annual rainfall of less than 10 inches.

Valley of Fire, Nevada

Nevada's oldest state park, located in the Mojave Desert and dedicated in 1935, covers almost 35,000 acres.  Its name is derived from the red sandstone formations created by ancient shifting sand dunes.  Average annual rainfall is about 4 inches.

Grand Canyon, Arizona (taken from the North Rim)

This National Park, covering over 1.2 million acres on the Colorado Plateau, is also a World Heritage Site.  Consisting of several major ecosystems, great biodiversity exists here.The inner canyon is xeric, receiving only about 9 inches of rain a year.

 

Sonoran Desert (Phoenix area) 

One of the largest and hottest deserts in North America, covering 120,000 square miles just south of the Mojave Desert, the Sonoran Desert can be found in the US states of Arizona and California and the Mexican states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Sonora.  A unique variety of flora and fauna exist here such as the saguaro cacti seen in the above photo.  Average annual rainfall varies from 3 inches to 16 inches.  Many areas are xeric such as  Phoenix with just over 8 inches of rainfall per year.  (Arizona is the only state that has all four North American deserts--Sonoran, Mojave, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin.)

Come join in the fun at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday.  You will be enlightened, charmed, and have some plain ole fun!  See more entries HERE.  This week our letter is "X."   
   


LINKS:

Valley of Fire:

official website
my post "Still Exploring"

Grand Canyon:

official website
Sonoran Desert:  
Desert USA 
biomes of the Sonoran Desert

photos by me © 2009 and 2010      

Desert Delights

In which we explore several disparate but decidedly delightful desert displays.   Come!  Let the dreamy dance of the desert muse begin!

Sonoran desert

decorated by prickles

conserves its beauty

desert dwelling birds

fly high into prickles

create domiciles

ancient rock towers

above the verdant valley

to glorious sky

photo #1 & #2 Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona   LINK

photo #3  Zion National Park, Utah   LINK

This is a fun weekly meme, under the direction of Jenny Matlock.  This week, our letter is "D."  Come and join HERE.  Here is Ms. Matlock's submission.

If you click this link, you will discover so many creative takes on this letter.  There are about 85 as of this writing.  Now go visit! 

This post is also for SkyWatch Friday hosted by Wren, fishing guy, Sylvia, Klaus, and Sandy.  Come join us in this awesome meme, link up, and meet folks from all over the globe. 

photos by me © 2009 & 2010
haiku by me © 2010

Fish Creek Canyon, Arizona

Saguaro cacti:
may grow as tallas 45 feet (13.8m)
may live for more than 150 years
may have a girth of 10 feet (3.1m)
takes 75 years before they grow a side arm

LINK

photo by me © 2009

Fish Creek Canyon Arizona

I am in Arizona this week, not exactly a vacation, but hoping to have a couple days to explore the Grand Canyon. 

photo by me © 2009

What is one strange thing...

...you have seen in your travels?

for me it is this Shoe Tree in Nordman, Idaho, USA.

It is an old growth cedar festooned with cast-off shoes. This glorious tree is located in the National Forest area of Priest Lake near Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars/Granite Falls and the Tillicum Creek trail. I came across this tree unexpectedly last September, and, of course, was enchanted. In researching for this post, I discovered that other shoe trees exist. Go visit a tree or start one of your own! 

Check out the following links:

Priest Lake shoe tree  

other shoe trees:

Middle Gate, Nevada shoe tree 
more shoe trees from Roadside America

Addendum: April 16, while traveling in the Salt River Canyon area of Arizona along a dirt road, I saw the very beginning of another shoe tree--just one pair. And here's the photo!

In general, it is old, worn-out shoes that people are throwing into trees.

OTHER STRANGE SIGHTINGS: 
my friend,Beaded Tail saw Carhenge in Alliance Nebraska-- HERE!  Check this out!

photos by me ©2008