Desert flowers tend to two directions. Magenta and yellow. Lots and lots of yellow. The desert LOVES yellow.
This is a palo verde blossom. Palo verde means 'green stick'. In the heat and drought of the summer, the palo loses its leaves. Its bark is very thin, and this allows it to pack some chlorophyll into its trunk and limbs and continue to photosynthesize, keeping a bit of energy going to the plant all year round. Green barked trees. In the desert. They're pretty cool, actually.
That little red 'beard'? Signals to the bees that this blossom has been pollinated. Something about the ultraviolet view of this flower will bring them in - before it is red (which the bees can't see) it is viewable in their sight, and acts as a landing pad. After pollination the plant 'turns off' the landing pad. The bees will then move on to visit flowers without the red.
The palo drops its leaves in summer while the other ubiquitous native tree, the mesquite, drops its leaves in winter. So with judicious planting, it's possible to have shade all year 'round.
That's a polyester tablecloth that looks so strange under the flower. That flower is about an inch across, this view is oversized!
My family spent Sunday in the Arizona not far from the Superstition Mountains. There is a park just west of there. You are right the desert is very much in bloom and yellow is a very popular color with mother nature.
Posted by: arizona bankruptcy lawyers | March 25, 2009 at 10:27 PM
Nice article and lovely flower!
Posted by: Meghan | March 31, 2009 at 04:06 AM