Thought I share some Spring time colors to brighten your day. Been a lot of snow out there in the world lately. Hope you are all safe and staying warm. These photos are from my many hikes and walks over the years here in my home state of Arizona. It looks so desolate and boring here in the desert when you look out over the horizon. Why would anyone ever want to walk out into something that looks so dry and ugly, to some that is.
This was a photo I took when my son was a senior in High school. He needed senior photos and the studio photos are always so boring to me. Told my son we would take a hike out to the desert with all the cool boulder sculptures everywhere to get the coolest photo ever. He was excited…just kidding. Kids usually are not up to photo shoots in the desert. I got some nice shots though and packed a yummy picnic lunch to eat out there.
Like there is nothing bright and colorful once you step on those trails. Keep walking and you will discover all kinds of beautiful things and so many colors.
If you pay attention there is a whole rainbow of beauty out there. Here are just a few of my favorite photos of all the amazing colors the Sonora desert has to share with you all.
RED
The tiny red buds on this little cactus open up to really pretty light pink flowers with a bit of yellow in the centers.
ORANGE
Rocks, stones and large boulders are all around the trails with colors in them. A large lizard sunbathing and blending in with it’s surroundings.This row of giant thorns looks like orange gold when the sun hits it.
YELLOW
The California Gold poppies only open when in direct sunlight.The Brittle bush produces my favorite flower which is from the Sunflower family. The ends of the stem produce a clear liquid which was used once by the Native Americans for glue and gum.California golden poppy in full bloom.
GREEN
Hard to believe there is anything green out here in the desert but during the Spring and after rain storms we get a lot of green out here.When ever I come across moss I think of little fairies.
PINK
The Golden Hedgehog cactus blooms bright hot pink flowers in mid March.
PURPLE
This Coulter’s Lupine flower is a favorite with the bees.
BLUE
I considered the sky part of this beautiful desert as well. Walking out there is really like walking into a painting.This photo does not do this lizard justice. The blue in it’s tail is so striking, so bright and absolutely beautiful.
WHITE
You will miss these miniature daisy flowers if walking too fast. They are super tiny and so adorable. Didn’t have the right kind of lens on my camera when I took this photo up close.
BROWN
The inside bones of a dead cactus. Lots of critters turn these fallen down and dried out cacti into homes. This skeleton of a cactus that once stood tall is from a Giant Saguaro cactus. Don’t stand too close to these ant hills out here in the desert. These ants hurt when they bite, like they have teeth the size of a shark.
Happy hiking and walking adventures. Look for the rainbows in everything in life.Keep your faith strong and always remember the promise. A gift below for you all, a desert coloring page I designed the other day while watching a movie. It is not for resale or to be copied for profit. Enjoy for yourselves only. Take some time this week to treat yourself to a peaceful mental break coloring away. Also, find a spot outside and enjoy a little nature this week while you color.
Thank you. Just visited your site and now I’m following. Your photos are beautiful. Best time to visit here in Arizona also just happens to be one the hardest times to because it gets so crowded. Those months are November- April in my opinion with March-April being the best time for wildflowers. It is such a beautiful site too. Lots of flowers with bright yellow, orange, magenta, red and lavender everywhere… absolutely gorgeous. I would have to touch up my photos to add how bright the colors are in person and I don’t use filters on my photos when I use them in blogs. I should do that to really make the colors pop even more. It is amazing.
Thanks for visiting and following my site! I’ll have to wander south one of these years to try to catch the desert blooming again. Your house sounds like quite a project!
You are so kind, thank you. Love to doodle away. So much beauty out there to share with everyone and I think coloring will help with everyone’s mental state with the lock downs and the sadness, it is calming. It would be nice if I could bottle up some Arizona sunshine to cheer up others as well. Flowers always make everything seem so much better.
Great post and fantastic photos, Cheri! Arizona is certainly a very unique place to explore and photograph, especially those amazingly colourful desert sunsets! Thanks for sharing and have a lovely day. Aiva 🙂
What a cool idea with the coloring page. This has given me a fun idea for a unit on the desert for my daughter. Wonderful photos of the flowers in the desert!
Thank you Lisa. Wish I could send you some little cacti to start your lesson plan. Hope your daughter has fun with her desert lessons. Maybe she can get some play sand and create a little desert scene and draw out paper cacti, animals and plants from the desert.
That coloring page is adorable!!! And all your pictures, so pretty and colorful. I love the maya angelo quite….good words to start the week 🌈♥️
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Thank you, and so true about the quote. Hope your week is filled with all kinds of art and colors too.
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Fabulous photos
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Thank you Sheree.
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My pleasure
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Oh — I LOVE these photos. And your desert coloring page is too cool. Thank you! ❤❤❤
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Thank you Linda. I do hope the page comes out, first time leaving a coloring page. Hope you and your husband are doing great too.
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Beautiful and very inspiring of the Spring.
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Thank you.
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Most welcome.
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Amazing cactus flower colors! I must always have traveled through the desert at the wrong times of year.
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Thank you. Just visited your site and now I’m following. Your photos are beautiful. Best time to visit here in Arizona also just happens to be one the hardest times to because it gets so crowded. Those months are November- April in my opinion with March-April being the best time for wildflowers. It is such a beautiful site too. Lots of flowers with bright yellow, orange, magenta, red and lavender everywhere… absolutely gorgeous. I would have to touch up my photos to add how bright the colors are in person and I don’t use filters on my photos when I use them in blogs. I should do that to really make the colors pop even more. It is amazing.
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Thanks for visiting and following my site! I’ll have to wander south one of these years to try to catch the desert blooming again. Your house sounds like quite a project!
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There is always something to do that’s for sure.
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You’re an artist. I envision a desert themed coloring book—then Arizona gardens—in your future. ❤️
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You are so kind, thank you. Love to doodle away. So much beauty out there to share with everyone and I think coloring will help with everyone’s mental state with the lock downs and the sadness, it is calming. It would be nice if I could bottle up some Arizona sunshine to cheer up others as well. Flowers always make everything seem so much better.
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Great post and fantastic photos, Cheri! Arizona is certainly a very unique place to explore and photograph, especially those amazingly colourful desert sunsets! Thanks for sharing and have a lovely day. Aiva 🙂
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Thank you.
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sooo much natural beauty………..
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Thank you Wendi.
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thank you for sharing!
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You’re welcome Wendi.
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What a cool idea with the coloring page. This has given me a fun idea for a unit on the desert for my daughter. Wonderful photos of the flowers in the desert!
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Thank you Lisa. Wish I could send you some little cacti to start your lesson plan. Hope your daughter has fun with her desert lessons. Maybe she can get some play sand and create a little desert scene and draw out paper cacti, animals and plants from the desert.
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Very good idea! We will have to try that.
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