Saguaro Summer

Watching the Saguaro on our walks in San Tan Mountain Regional Park this spring has been fascinating. It was probably February when I first noted early changes becoming apparent; i.e., white areas forming on the ends of the branches (arms). I knew this was the precursor to growth of many kinds, including developing flower blossoms. I could hardly wait to see the first Saguaro blossom. I had to wait until late April/early May -- mainly due to my MI/CA trips in April. On our walks in the Park it was exciting to watch the different birds pollinate the blossoms as they enjoyed the sweet nectar. I knew that meant that before too long we would see the fruits form on the cactus. The major pollinator is the White-winged Dove since the bats no longer arrive in the numbers of a few years ago. Most of the bats stay in Mexico to pollinate the Blue Agave plants from which tequila is made.
The fruit, which is green on the outside and red on the inside, is a major source of nutrition and moisture for the desert dwellers -- not only birds, but other animals who are able to reach it. In the picture above you can see the bright red of the fruit that has burst open and been enjoyed by some of the birds and other animals.
I am hoping to get a photo of a bird actually partaking of the life-sustaining Saguaro fruit. If I am successful, I promise to post it in a future blog. For now, just use your imagination as to who would be enjoying this sweet treat in the desert.

Spring Comes Softly to the Desert

With the arrival of the triple digits of summer in Arizona, we could say that we had lived in the desert through four seasons.
I have so enjoyed watching each season unfold. Of course, there are not the dramatic differences that were seen throughout a lifetime of Michigan seasons; however, there are obvious differences to be noticed. I think I have to say that spring has been my favorite seasonal experience during our first year of living in the low desert.
One of my favorite, and very early, spring flowers in Michigan was the Forsythia blossoms that beautified the south side of our garage. Our last spring there I felt the pangs of lonesomeness as I knew I would see these in the desert. Imagine my delight to find that the Palo Verde blossom is a suitable substitute for my beloved Forsythia! And not just six foot tall shrubs, but trees that are fifteen to twenty feet tall and just as wide lending a golden glow to their desert surroundings. Pictured above is a swath of Palo Verde trees lining a street in Queen Creek. This sight could be seen repeatedly while driving through the communities of the Valley.
Cactus flowers were one of the spring sights I looked forward to most. I started very early in the spring (perhaps even late winter) watching for subtle signs that the blossoms would be appearing soon. Alas, it was later than I had envisioned before the first flowers appeared. But when they did, they were so worth the wait!
The Prickly Pear cactus picture above was taken at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum on one of our many visits. The flowers in the picture are a bit hard to see, and there are more buds than actual flowers, but it gives you an idea of what a display would look like as the blooms progressed. The Prickly Pear is one of my personal favorites, and the variety of different species produced just as many varied flowers in the spring display.
Here is a Hedgehog cactus with its beautiful pink blossoms. This is a rather insignificant cactus, but there are many along the trails of San Tan Mountain Regional Park here we walk (I call it hiking) at least twice a week. In fact there is one trail aptly named for the many varieties of Hedgehog cactus that line it, so I plan to spend more time exploring that particular trail next spring.
The Saguaro is what I consider the sentinel of the Sonoran Desert. No where else in the world will you find this cactus. I had seen a couple of blossoms on an April trip a few years earlier, but looked forward to seeing multiple blossoms on multiple cactus as we walked in its habitat. Imagine my surprise when I discovered only a few open at a time on each cactus. So while a Saguaro may have 50 - 100 buds, only a couple open at a time. I was fortunate to be able to capture a Curve-billed Thrasher surveying its territory from the top of a cactus with many buds but only a few flowers actually in bloom (note some on the far right side of the cactus that are difficult to see).
One day in May I came upon this barrel cactus with a perfect circle of blossoms and buds. It was the first time I saw this in the desert and couldn't resist yet another cactus flower picture to join the hundreds of others that were already taken.
One of my favorite very early spring plants in my Michigan garden were my Helleboers (Christmas & Lenten Rose). Often they would be blooming under the protective cover of the snow, waiting for the first warm day of spring. How excited I was to find that many of the Cholla flowers mimic the flowers I left behind in my spring garden in Michigan:-) Seeing these always brought a smile to my face!
The Ocotillo plant, which is native to the Sonoran Desert, is one of the most intriguing plants of our area. Most of the year it is just a bunch of "sticks" reaching for the sky. But when the winter rains and warm soil prompt growth, tiny green leaves cover the branches of this plant. These can seemingly appear overnight.
And when they bloom, this is what one sees. The panicles remind me a bit of the Sumack berry panicles in my yard in Michigan. And wow do the hummingbirds love these!! Many times we were buzzed as we walked the trails at San Tan Mountain park where the Ocotillo were blooming.
One of the spring events we looked forward to most in Michigan was the annual butterfly display at Frederic Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Every week would find Tom and I volunteering in the display, sometimes together but other times separately. We loved greeting the visitors as they came to the butterfly display in the conservatory. So we were a bit sad when April 30th of 2010 passed, and we knew it was our last year volunteering for the butterfly event there. Well, imagine our surprise to find that in the same time frame, the Desert Botanic Gardens had a butterfly display!
We picked up our niece, Mandi, and her daughter, Anna, and headed to the Desert Botanic Garden. Anna had been there the week before on a school field trip, so we knew a little of what to expect. What a beautiful exhibit! We were fortunate to be there while a new butterfly population was being released. As you can see, these are released in the adult stage, not the chrysalis stage. The envelopes contain several butterflies each that have been brought out of "cold storage". We all were able to release several envelopes of butterflies, which was definitely the highlight of our day!
Here is one of the butterfly feeding stations, which several hungry butterflies having lunch. How beautiful they are even with their wings closed. God's creation is a gift that I never cease to marvel over.
One butterfly decided to check out the Morning Glory blossoms on my blouse. I'm sure it was disappointed, but took a flight break for a couple of minutes anyway -- at least long enough for us to get a good picture of its rest stop.
And then at the end, we saw the pretties butterfly of them all. She was with us the whole time making our experience at the butterfly exhibit extra special:-)
I am hoping this will entice my northern friends into paying us a visit this year. You can come while it is snowy and cold in the north land; however, to experience all that spring in the low desert of Arizona has to offer, you will need to be patient a little while and come in April and May. See you then!!

A Tale of Two Desert Trees

Spring in the desert has been a fascinating experience delighting all the senses. I have fallen in love with two trees as I watched them unfold in different, but equally delightful fashion. Because of these two trees, I was able to move past missing the delightful spring blooming trees I knew in Michigan.
The tree pictured above is the Desert Willow. It is not a true willow being from the Bignonia (Chilopsis) family rather than the Willow (Salix) family. If it were a true Willow it would have a very difficult time surviving in a low desert climate. It grows up to 20' tall and has linear leaves. The flowers are 1 1/4" , bell-shaped, light pink to lavender in color with yellow ridges and purple lines. Actually, they remind me just a bit of the Orchids that have been blooming in my house this spring:-) They attract hummingbirds, which is a plus in my mind, and provide food for the resident as well as migrant hummers.
The second tree which I have been so intrigued by is called the Desert Ironwood. It is a member of the Pea family, so I will expect to see pods developing as the summer progresses. I first noticed this tree in landscapes as I drove about our community. It reminded me a bit of the Crabapple trees that are blooming in the spring in Michigan. However, the blossoms were much more subtle and created almost a smoke-like appearance to the tree. One day when we were hiking in San Tan Mountain Park I saw several in bloom up close and personal. I realized that there were no leaves on the tree, only blossoms. At that time, I did not know what kind of tree it was -- I just knew it was beautiful! A few days later, I had the opportunity to ask the Park staff what the tree was and found out it was the Desert Ironwood.
I wish I could make room for this tree in my home landscape, but that isn't going to be possible. So I will just enjoy it on my hikes at the Park each spring. Of note is that the earliest blossoms have been replaced by tiny green leaves, which when mature will be 2 1/4" long and be a blue-green color.
Maybe some year you can come visit me in the Arizona in the spring and see these trees for yourself. I promise that you, too, will fall in love with them!

Sonoran Saguaro Spring

The Saguaro, sentinel of the Sonoran Desert, has fascinated me from the very moment I laid eyes on them! So I excitedly anticipated the arrival of spring 2011 when I would be able to see this beautiful plant flower. Each winter walk at San Tan Mountain Park found me looking for signs of change and the promise of blossoms. In the photo above you can see the white ring on the lower right arm of the right Saguaro. I was sure that this meant that buds would be appearing soon. I was so excited! (Don't miss the Gambel's Quail in the middle of the picture.)

Late April brought sightings of Saguaro blossoms on many of these plants. I was surprised to notice that not many opened at the same time. If they all opened at once, it would leave the desert creatures who depend on the blossoms for moisture and nourishment with a very short window of time to have this available to them. Thankfully God knew best when He ordered the rhythms of nature!
Above are two beautiful blossoms I photographed this morning. You will note that there are other blooms in various stages of development. Most of them have already opened, been pollinated, and are beginning to develop fruit. The main pollinator of Saguaro blossoms is the White-winged Dove (cousin to the Mourning Dove), although other birds, mammals and insects also contribute to the pollination process.
The fruit of the Saguaro will also provide moisture and nourishment in the weeks to come. Without this stately plant, many birds and animals would not survive in the desert.
My fascination with the desert continues to grow as we explore it on almost a daily basis. I don't think I will ever grow tired of watching its rhythms. I look forward to sharing more of our new surroundings with you in future blogs.

Queen Creek Olive Mill

A few years ago my sister, Kathie, introduced me to the Olive Mill in Queen Creek, AZ. Imagine my surprise to discover that olives are grown in the United States. Growing up in a farming family, I knew of many fruits and vegetables that grew here; but I thought of olives as being from Mediterranean countries like Italy and Greece. My first visit to the Olive Mill was a delightful mix of a tour, lunch, shopping, and sampling olives. I could hardly wait to return!
Imagine my delight when I discovered shortly after moving to Arizona last summer that we lived just a short distance from the Olive Mill! Of course, I went shopping within a few days and bought one of the reserve olive oils, which I save for "special occasions."
The olive harvest took place in the fall, followed by pressing. Olives are actually harvested in three stages with each stage of ripeness producing a particular flavor, from a soft fruit to a strong flavor.
This is followed by the "Festival of the New Oil", which is taking place right now. Tom and I paid the Mill a visit last Saturday to check out the activities. Besides olive oil tasting and wine tasting, there were various activities going on. There was a group taking a tour, and they were inside the pressing room when I checked on them. As you can see from the picture below, some people ride their bicycles to the Olive Mill to enjoy a sunny day. This particular group had children with them, who were playing games on the lawn between the Olive trees. They had also brought a picnic lunch with them and were enjoying that.
Other people bought a lunch from the deli at the Mill (absolutely delicious sandwiches and salads, I might add); and while some ate their lunch in the dining room, others opted to enjoy the beautiful day outdoors. Below you can see that the outdoor dining room is being enjoyed by many people. Tables are shared, so it isn't unusual to have people from several states all enjoying their lunches together.
The chef has a garden (patrons can only look in, not enter) that he personally tends. The herbs and vegetables are used in the food that is served in the deli. On Friday and Saturday nights, he also prepared dinners for guests and uses the garden fare extensively in those dishes. How wonderful to know that you are eating local, including food grown outside the door, when you choose to dine there!
Below is a display of olive oil that is available. There are so many choices that it is almost impossible to go home with just one. Some day I am going to make a dessert using the chocolate olive oil -- yum!
Another product made on site is the pasta in many varieties. I have only bought this for hostess gifts, but plan to buy the beet pasta some day to make a special dinner dish. I love beets, so I was very excited to find this pasta available on a local level.
And, of course, there are many kinds of olives available for purchase and serving with meals. Since I love cheese of almost any kind, the Parmesan Romano stuffed olives are my personal favorites. The olives also come stuffed with a variety of products such as blue cheese, feta cheeses, garlic cloves, nuts, and so on. So it would be difficult not to find one that you like!
The Olive Mill was the first place I bought local sweet corn in August. It was delicious, although I must say not quite what I was used to from Michigan. They also carried apples from local farmers this fall as well as apple cider (still available as you can see below) and now citrus fruits. As our harvest season progresses, there will be other products available. I am excitedly awaiting the first peaches in June!
I hope you all enjoyed learning a little bit about the Queen Creek Olive Mill. I promise a trip there to see it for yourself when you come to visit us in Arizona. I am looking forward to seeing the olive trees in bloom, the pollinators busily at work on the blossoms, and then the olives in various stages of development/ripeness. So look for future posts that bring the delights of this desert treasure to your computer!