Desert in May

We took a ride out onto the desert last week to see if their were any wildflowers blooming yet. We found a few plus we had a good time and Tuffee got to run for a while.

Indian Paint Brush Wildflower

This orange flower is called the Indian Paint Brush which seems kind of weird as it doens't look like an Indian or a paint brush. It is common on the desert all over New Mexico.

Paint Brush?

This is a close up of the Indian Paint Brush wildflower. I still can't figure out why it is called a paint brush. Sure doesn't look like one to me.

Tiny Purple Wild Flower

I see this tiny purple wild flower out in the desert but don't know it's name, either. The flowers are only about a half inch in size, and the leaves are smaller and kind of gray green in color. The plant looks like a bush and usually only about 6 to 10 inches tall and about the same wide.

Wild Hollyhocks

These little flowers are kin to our tame hollyhocks. I have seen them bloom at all different heights. Here they are only inches tall. In my yard they can get several feet tall.

Wild Flower

I see these little wild flowers frequently out Don't know their official names.

Prickly Pear Cactus

This is our local wild prickly pear cactus and a blossom with a green bug in the center.

Yucca

We had a native yucca decide to bloom in my neighbors yard. It was right against the fence between the two yards but officially on their side. But I did take some photos of it. There are lots of different yuccas in New Mexico and the yucca is our state flower. There are lots of different kinds of native yuccas but this one is the kind that grows wild in and around Rio Rancho and Albuquerque. Most people think of the much larger type of yucca when you mention yuccas but those don't grow wild here but there are several landscape nursies that sell them and if you are careful you can get them to grow here. They do grow wild in the southwestern section of the state in Grant County.

Blossoms

Close up of yucca blossoms

Bucky

This is my neighbors dog Bucky.

Tuffee & Yucca

Tuffee is on our side of the fence but I was on my neighbors side taking the photo.

Hummmm?

Maybe I should call this desert gardening on a sand dune. Seens like the best way for me do to gardening is in a container. Just to much sand.

Clay Pot & Cactus

More Blossoms

Mule Deer

We went to Jemez Mountains about a week ago and saw 3 mule deer. You can tell they are mule deer due to the size of their ears. This one was really close and I got a decent photo of her. I was suprised it came out this good as it was almost dark when I took it.