Just returned from 2 weeks in Scottsdale AZ. Waited and waited for the flowers to pop but it didn't happen. Locals said that you need rain in November for a good spring wildflower season in the desert. It was very dry last fall and wet the last 2 months with cooler than normal temps. We drove back on Tuesday and the forecast was for warmer temps the rest of this week which may help. Met up with Rod Chandler for a sunset shot of the superstitions. Had to use Teddy Bear Cholla for foreground with the lack of flowers. 5DMKII, 24-105mm Canon
There's a lot of impact from the light and color in this one. Really well done!
Posted by John Mumaw on March 20, 2010 at 11:28 PM
This is superb!
Great composition, light, clouds and colors.
Who needs flowers when you have cactus that looks like this? They do a wonderful job of leading my eye up to the mountains.
Posted by Kurt Bowman on March 21, 2010 at 12:26 AM
Excellent!!! Simply excellent!
Posted by Bill Brennan on March 21, 2010 at 1:14 AM
Very nice composition and color. Do not need flowers when you have a teddy bear.
Bill Brennan
Posted by Brian Jackson on March 21, 2010 at 9:52 PM
Great shot Bob.
Posted by Joel Hazelton on March 22, 2010 at 3:00 PM
Cool shot Bob! Great light all around. Poppies are definitely carpeting some of the high desert, a bit spotty in the lower sonoran.
Posted by Laurent Baig on March 22, 2010 at 7:21 PM
Beautiful comp. There some flowers about, but most reports say what you heard. We didn't get enough (any) early rain. Maybe next year. Course that's what we keep saying :)
Posted by Bob Falcone on March 27, 2010 at 2:01 AM
Just an update from the southern part of AZ...
I saw several large patches (fields) of yellow poppies along I-19 today, and they were more plentiful as I got closer to Nogales. I don't know what the norm is for this time of the year, as I'm down here about 3 weeks later than my usual. I also saw quite a few purple wildflowers (no idea what they are) mixed in with the poppies.
There are plenty of buds on the prickly pear, and I'm hoping they bloom before I leave. I was surprised to see some buds on the prickly pear on a trail above Gates Pass today. I saw some flowers (red/purple) on some smaller cactus at San Xavier today, but that may because they're cultivated and cared for. Again, I'm not sure what the norm is, but in 15 or so years of coming to Tucson in March, I've never seen any cactus blossoms, so it's all good by me.
Discussion
11 repliesGreat foreground!
This is such a cool shot it does not need flowers. Beautiful!
This is such a cool shot it does not need flowers. Beautiful!
Great composition, light, clouds and colors.
Who needs flowers when you have cactus that looks like this? They do a wonderful job of leading my eye up to the mountains.
Bill Brennan
I saw several large patches (fields) of yellow poppies along I-19 today, and they were more plentiful as I got closer to Nogales. I don't know what the norm is for this time of the year, as I'm down here about 3 weeks later than my usual. I also saw quite a few purple wildflowers (no idea what they are) mixed in with the poppies.
There are plenty of buds on the prickly pear, and I'm hoping they bloom before I leave. I was surprised to see some buds on the prickly pear on a trail above Gates Pass today. I saw some flowers (red/purple) on some smaller cactus at San Xavier today, but that may because they're cultivated and cared for. Again, I'm not sure what the norm is, but in 15 or so years of coming to Tucson in March, I've never seen any cactus blossoms, so it's all good by me.