Hovering 'round 100

The Southwest Desert temperatures will be hovering around 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) -- yes, I know, it couldn't be 100 degrees centigrade, even in the Earth deserts.  No complaining about the weather yet.
Enjoy the blooming non-indigenous plant we call the "Bishop's Cap." 

Each "Bishop's Cap" flower blooms for only one day.  Notice the closed and wilted flowers from previous days around the fresh yellow bloom.

The flower lasts one day.  If you do not check it daily, you will miss the bloom.  What life lesson is there in this? 
Getting philosophical in the desert garden,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2012

Tiny Cactus Flowers

We have a break in the monsoonal weather so I have been outside looking for flowers.  I found several tiny mammillaria cacti, growing in the wild, in bloom.  There are over 170 different cacti in the genus mammillaria.  Only 14 of them are native to the United States.  The posted photos illustrate how difficult these tiny cacti would be to spot if not for their vivid flowers.  The flowers, in full bloom, are about 1 inch in diameter.  This species of mammillaria is more or less 3 inches tall.  Some are a few inches taller, but these often tend to lean to the side. Please enjoy the photos.  I just shot them and even though it is a mere 100 degrees outside, as I sit and type this, there is sweat running down my spine.

tiny mammillaria in the wild -- notice the prickly pear pads on the left, wilted in the dry summer heat

Close up of the flower and spines: notice the hooks!

The spines provide the cactus with some shade and protection.

 

if not for the flower, this would have gone unnoticed

                                         view looking down -- notice all the flowers and buds
There may be many more flowers where you live.  They may be larger, more abundant, more colorful, and fragrant.  Here in the wild Southwest Desert summer, the flowers are rare and often small.  We appreciate them, and I hope you have enjoyed them too.  Stay cool.

As ever,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2011

100 Degrees

It hit 100 degrees here yesterday afternoon.  The weather folk predict 100 degrees again today.  Then below 100 for a few days.  June appears to start with a string of over 100 degree days.

It has been an unusually cool May.  The 100 degree days can start around the beginning of May.  We made it to May 27 below 100.  You have to understand that when it is under 100 degrees we are not complaining about the heat.  It is a dry heat, i.e., the humidity is low so it does not feel as hot as it would in a high humidity climate.  In fact, a few degrees over 100 can be tolerable if you stay in the shade. Weeks of days over 105 degrees get intense.  Sometimes the weatherman tells us how many days in a row it has been 105 degrees or more.  I hope for a cool summer.  Everyone here laughs at the idea.  By "cool" I mean days primarily under 100 degrees.

We can't remember the last time it rained.  Its been that long.  Monsoon rains usually come after July 4th.  That's not a hard and fast rule, but it is fairly accurate.  Those rains are heavy and of variable duration, sometimes as much as 4 inches at a time, but usually an inch or less. 

It is dry now.  How dry?  Your skin feels dry all the time, especially face, hands, feet, lips.  The air you breathe is dry.  The inside of your nose is dry.  The earth is dry.  The plants are dry.  The coyotes are lean.  The cacti are starting to slim down a bit.  A drink of cold water is the best drink you can have.  Laundry dries on the line in more or less one hour depending on sun and wind conditions -- two hours tops, even for blue jeans.

Stay cool,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c) 2011