Curiouser and curiouser: July 2019

This spring the wildflowers around Tucson were truly spectacular. Early on in the season I heard people saying that it was a once-in-a-decade bloom, but as the bloom continued and intensified for several weeks, people started saying it was more of a once-in-a-century bloom. This was undoubtedly due in part to wetness of this past winter, with much more rain than usual, and even a bit of snow. I took two hikes in Catalina State Park during the wildflower season, one early on, and one a few weeks later. As beautiful as the flowers were the first time, they were even more remarkable the next time. I'm hoping to sit down and identify more of the individual flower photos soon, but for now, here are a few highlights and vistas from the second hike.

This whiptail is pretty well camouflaged, isn't it?

And this lizard is particularly well hidden!

This flower has a whimsical look and name: fairy duster (Calliandra eriophylla), also sometimes called mock mesquite, mesquitella, or pink mimosa.

The lupines were truly stunning. They reminded me of photos of lavender farms. I think the majority of these are Coulter's lupine, also known as desert lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus).

This purple owl's clover (Castilleja exserta) is in the same genus as Indian paintbrush. Apparently, it is a hemiparasite, extracting some of its nutrients from the root systems of nearby plants.

A fun mix of flowers:

I think these little ones are aptly named creamcups (Platystemon californicus).

The lupine-poppy combination is particularly striking and beautiful, though by no means unique to Arizona. Other areas, including California, also had remarkable "super blooms" this year.