Baja Fairy Duster © 2011 Bo Mackison
It’s a good thing that I finally conquered my fear of interstate driving. Now that I can navigate “the 10” (Interstate 10) which wraps around the west and south sides of Tucson, I can now drive anywhere in the Tucson area without having to deal with stop and go street traffic. What freedom!
Today I took a trip to Tohono Chul Park, an urban botanical garden in Tucson, and I finally got a chance to photograph a few flowers.
I’ve photographed the pink fairy duster before, but never have I had the honor of seeing the red Baja Fairy Duster, a species about three times the size of the pink one.
This flower has so many interesting features. Though must of the “dusters” stick straight out from the center of the flower, there were a few stragglers–these squiggles. How fun are they?
Baja Red Fairy Duster © 2011 Bo Mackison
This is a more traditional view of the fairy duster. The plant is native to Mexico. Though it usually blooms in February, due to this year’s hard freeze and extremely dry conditions, it is just now blooming.
What a bright, delicate looking flower–I would never have picked it to be a desert plant.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.” She is happy to have the privilege to photograph desert flowers.
About Bo Mackison
Gorgeous photo and plant! You are doing so well in that area!
We certainly don;t have fairy dusters in the Midwest. They are quite magical.
jolies couleurs.
Thank you. The desert is full of bright colors if you know where to look.
How pretty! And I’m guessing the Baja Fairy Duster is a fern, by the look of the leaves in the background.
Not a fern, though the leaves do look similar. It is a perennial, doesn;t require as much rain as most so it blooms quite regularly.