In All Things of Nature

https://osteopatiaamparoandres.com/yx8ouafgyb6 The Spanish Bayonet agave is a wicked sounding plant, and no doubt if you bump into it or step upon a fallen spike, it gives a wicked stab, too. But just as you can’t accurately judge a person by his or her name, or a new food by its appearance, you cannot know a plant by its name, nor a casual glance.

click here It usually takes time to get to know a plant, or a person for that matter.

source link When I first saw the Spanish Bayonet agave, it was a mass of red tinged, spiky green stabbing sticks. Those who knew the desert well called that bundle of danger an agave plant, or according to some botanists, a very close relative of the agave. I thought perhaps they were being generous.

Spanish Bayonet in Bloom

Best Place For Tramadol Online Spanish Bayonet in Bloom © 2012 Bo Mackison

source site In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous. ~ Aristotle

https://www.infotonicsmedia.com/about/valium-purchasing.php Then one day when I was out and about in the Sonoran desert, I saw the Spanish bayonet, but it was no longer simply a spiky plant. Its center had opened, the heart of the plant, and bursting forth was a mass of purple florets. This spiky plant, this plant which has red-tinged tips and a vague look of battle, had always had this beauty in its heart.

https://www.saiidzeidan.com/f2up0e7a23n It was unknown to me, a newcomer to the desert. But what a wonderful gift for me – a surprise bouquet!

Spanish Bayonet

Uk Tramadol Online Flower Spike © 2012 Bo Mackison

https://www.accessoriesresourceteam.org/art/buy-real-diazepam-uk.php One looks, looks long, and the world comes in. ~ Joseph Campbell

http://foodsafetytrainingcertification.com/food-safety-news/e2ns59yeu The sotolillo – the name I have since learned is the Mexican name of the plant, and one that I quite prefer – offered even more delight at my next visit, a week or so later. The bouquet in the middle of the spikes had stretched – like, I imagine, Jack’s beanstalk grew – and it   stretched towards the sky, a full ten feet high. Lovely!

https://www.mckenziesportsphysicaltherapy.com/2hb0v5zqy There is one last photograph of the sotolillo blossom that I will save for Sunday’s post. It is a beauty, perfect for Part II.

http://geoffnotkin.com/laygu/online-valium-sales.php ——————–

https://riverhillcurrent.com/ef8fdil Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, living and photographing in southern Arizona. She remains amazed and grateful for the opportunity to see the diversity and beauty of the Sonoran Desert.

Lessons from Desert Flowers

Rock Gilia

https://bettierose.co.uk/qqtwblb Rock Gilia © 2012 Bo Mackison

https://www.frolic-through-life.com/2025/01/nruozfmq        The desert’s beauty suggests patience and struggle and endurance. Even in the brightest colors of its brief spring flowers, there is something austere. ~ from The Desert Year by Joseph Wood Krutch

Order Tramadol Cod Overnight Delivery Most of the desert flowers are mere specks on the ground. If there are dozens of them, the color is fairly noticeable, but if there are only two or three quarter-inch blossoms sprawling against a bit of green leaf and a lot of gravelly desert floor, it takes some careful observations to see those pretty little things. Of course, in the desert, the smaller, the better chance at survival. A flower, or leaf on a shrub for that matter, that is minute requires considerably less moisture for survival than a flower or leaf a hundred times that size. Adaptation of the species, as we know it.

Blooming Aloe

source Blooming Aloe © 2012 Bo Mackison

https://thelowegroupltd.com/f8w4f1mhuh Notice how present a flower is, how it has surrendered to life. ~ Eckhart Tolle

source link Of course, the cacti and the succulents found in the desert have a totally different way to guarantee a flowering season, necessary for the continuation of the species. (No flowers, no seeds. No seed, no new flower).

Cheap Valium Online This aloe is a succulent and has adaptive measures for desert survival. Succulents (and cacti, too) have the ability to suck up water when it does rain and then store it in large quantities. These plants send shallow roots in a wide circumference around the plant, and so the root absorbs the water before it evaporates. And when a succulent, like this bright-orange, flowering aloe, traps water in its system, its waxy surface helps keep the water in the plant and reduces water lost to evaporation.

go site We humans could learn much by consulting with nature and her ways:

  • Assess our weaknesses and strengths – bolster our weaknesses and play to our strengths.
  • Be resourceful and use our resources wisely. Do not use more natural resources than we need. Consider needs vs. wants.
  • Share your beauty, whether it be small and hidden, delicate and ethereal, or bright and showy.

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Mexican Tree Flower

Mexican Tree Sunflower

https://www.mssbizsolutions.com/4rmczr5 Mexican Tree Sunflower © 2012 Bo Mackison

enter Nature can be trusted to work her own miracle in the heart of any man whose daily task keeps him alone among her sights, sounds and silences. ~ Gene Stratton Porter

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, living and photographing in southern Arizona. She had never seen a sunflower tree until last week, but now she has.

Giving Praise

Hedgehog Cactus Bloom

Hedgehog Cactus Bloom © 2012 Bo Mackison

Quinn of QuinnCreative awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you, Quinn.

Here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award:
If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.

  • Thank the person who gave you this award.
  • Include a link to their blog.
  • Nominate 15 blogs/bloggers that you follow.
  • Finally, list 7 things about yourself.

Here is my list of Versatile Blogger Awardees. Go visit them and see what they are up to.

Here are a few of the blogs I follow regularly:

Anita’s Photoblog   I’ve been loving Anita’s photographs since I discovered her photo blog many, many moons ago. She has a lovely way of combining flowers and textures to create stunning floral portraits.

The Art of Everyday Wonder Joanna may not have a typical blog (or she may) –she follows her vision and freely makes changes to her blogs when she is inspired. And she is indeed inspired and inspiring — a talented creative (writer, poet, photographer, nature lover…) from Scotland. Wander around her site and you’ll be sure to discover some delights.

Daily Practice  I have been following Marcie’s photo blog for several years, and Marcie faithful to her commitment, posts a photograph each day. She often photographs in her neighborhood where there is an amazing pond that bribes all the most photogenic fowl to visit. I never know when I am going to open the link to Marcie’s blog and gasp in awe at her latest.

Giraffe Head Tree  Debi moved only last week to within walking distance of the coast of North Carolina. She is just getting her camera adjusted to the glories of an Atlantic Ocean sunrise, but she promises to explore up and down the Carolina beaches, camera in hand. I’m joining her via her blog. She’d love to meet anyone else who wants to virtually beach comb with her.

Sue Henry Photography Sue and I met through the connecting world of photo blogs — and then discovered that we had been born in towns within spittin’ distance of each other. Since then, I moved north and Sue moved further south, but we both were bitten by the camera bug, and we share our worlds through our photographs. Sue is able to capture palpable moods in her photography — it’s a treat to look through her photo blog any time.

And here are some blogs/bloggers I have recently discovered.

From the Eyes of Denise Goldberg Denise posts marvelous photographs from the state of Maine. I love seeing what she sees through her lens because Maine seems about as far from Arizona as one can get. Denise is another photographer whose camera has encouraged her to peek into the small places. And I love seeing any and all sorts of small places on her blog.

Here and Now I discovered Gina’s photography since she is participating in a photo study on exploring balance with camera and Kat that I am also doing. I was attracted to the vibrancy of Gina’s photographs the first time I looked at her photo blog, and I always enjoy returning to see what she has posted.

Reflections and Nature  Ahh, photographs filled with bright colors, stunning silhouettes, and new surprises to enjoy at each blog visit. I recently discovered Sandra —  just as I met Gina — doing the challenges in Exploring with a Camera. It seems I am reaping many more benefits from Kat’s practice than just thinking about composition and balance…

Upon Halliburton Hill  Joanna from British Columbia is another “Camera Explorer” and so I have only recently started to visit her blog. If you want to be blown away by colors and abstracts, wow, check out the photographs Joanna posts.

Words and Photographs One more “Camera Explorer” before I run out of space and time — Juli posts the most colorful photographs, I always take a peek at her blog because I know it will bring a smile to my face. She blogs from Canada, and truly, I am surprised each time I visit. Flowers, fruits, shadows, brick walls — I never know what will be there for me to discover, but I love it. And one of my favorite things? Juli has a series called “Drive By’s” – photos she takes from her car while waiting for traffic lights to change. Living in the moment, yes!

Wow! I am going to close by doing one of the speediest lists of 7 about myself (and the photo above) ever:

  1. I love cactus when they are in bloom.
  2. I took the above photo of this orange cactus flower in my front yard.
  3. I took a picture of a hedgehog cactus. (Does it look like a hedge hog?)
  4. As a kid, I grew up playing along the shores of the Mississippi River.
  5. I never once saw a cactus growing near the Mississippi where I played.
  6. I saw lots of poison ivy, though.
  7. I like a cactus with thorns more than I like poison ivy with an itch. 🙂

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, living and photographing in southern Arizona. She is happy to see that the cactus are beginning to bloom.

A Drive through Box Canyon, Sky Island View

Open Space

Open Space © 2012 Bo Mackison

The Box Canyon Road passes through the norhthern part of Madera Canyon from Arizona Highway 83, north of Sonoita, to White House Canyon Road, near the entrance to the Madera Canyon Recreation Area. This road was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps which was also responsible for building some of the original roads in Madera Canyon, and the original campgrounds, bridges and hiking trails.

The road passes through range land for several miles,. Horses are grazing behind secure fencing and cattle are both grazing on the ranch land and wandering on the roads. (Sorry – no pic. I was driving, well, skirting around cows in the middle of the road!)

Sky Island Layers

Sky Island Layers © 2012 Bo Mackison

The road eventually hugs the mountain side and climbs upward, offering views of the layers of sky island habitats. Here, a riparian corridor including sycamores and cottonwoods a leafy green near the river bed, though the river is dry. In the higher elevations, a mixture of evergreen oaks, Alligator junipers and Pinions are in the oak-pine woodland. The furthest peaks are covered with Douglas fir, Gambel oaks, maples in the middle elevations,  white fir and a few aspens at the highest elevations.

Road, Vintage CCC

Road through the Canyon, Vintage CCC © 2012 Bo Mackison

The dirt road clings rather snugly to the rising topography, but the views are beautiful. If you want to get a good look at the scenery and snap a few photos, one either needs to stop frequently — there are a few wide spots, but otherwise the road is lightly traveled and visibility is good. I could always see if cars or trucks were driving towards me or following me, so I often stopped mid-road, but I was VERY careful! Another option, and the one I recommend, is having both a driver and a passenger/photographer so that the roles are well defined.

If you look far in the distance, in the valley between the Santa Ritas, one are looking at Green Vally and Continental , Arizona, small towns south of Tucson, and beyond the towns, on a very clear day, you can make out eh multiple observatories on Kitt Peak, 70 miles away.

Rocky Seat

Rocky Seat, Long View © 2012 Bo Mackison

I love the rippling habitats of the sky islands. I sat on this rock formation for awhile, very comfy, and took a few notes, snoozed a few minutes — it was so warm and I swear the sun sang me a sweet sunny lullabye — and did a few sketches. I am practicing a few plein air techniques with some basic supplies — pencils, colored pencils and watercolors, but they are definitely in the practice stage at this point.

Green Lichen on Rocks

Green Lichen Colony © 2012 Bo Mackison

These rocks, and many of the rocks throughout the sky islands in southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, are covered with a lime green living crust called lichen. Lichen is a multiorganism, part fungus, part either green algae or blue-green algae. (The fungus is the house; the algae provides the nutrients. Lichen can grow in the most hostile places, including bare rock in cold places.

The amazing thing about lichen is that it is not scientifically classified as either a plant nor an animal. DNA analysis shows lichen is very different from a fungal make-up, which is in the animal kingdom, but it is also very different from the algae make-up which belongs to the Bacteria kingdom.A sort-of combination of animal-bacteria, but not a plant.

I guess lichen has a kingdom all its own.

See the Road Constructed by the CCC?

See the Road Constructed by the CCC? © 2012 Bo Mackison

On the way out of the canyon, I crossed a bridge, and was able to take this photograph of a dry rocky wash which appears to now be the home of lots of prickly pear (more on the edges, not in the middle sandier area.)

Out of the Mountains

Coming Out of the Mountains © 2012 Bo Mackison

And leaving the mountain pass, I came out into another thorn scrub with quite a few prickly pears, yucca, and barrel cacti spread amidst the mesquite. The cattle guards appeared on the road again and I noticed signs for open range. I didn’t see any roaming cattle on the west side of the pass, but they had been on the road earlier in the day.

 

How Many Habitats can you See?

How Many Habitats Can You See? © 2012 Bo Mackison

And finally, I reach the road that leads away from the Santa Ritas. I pulled off on the side of the grasslands, and took one last photograph of the Santa Rita Mountain Range and its highest mountain, Mount Wrightson (9453 feet).

I think it takes me about twice as long to take the shortcut through the mountain pass compared to taking Arizona Highway 83 north to Interstate 10 West, drive through Tucson, and then take Interstate 19 south to Madera Canyon. But the shorter drive, though interesting and with great views at times, just can;t compare to a mountain pass drive through the Santa Rita Wilderness. (And a some ranch lands at the beginning and end — just to add a bit more variety, I suppose…)

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, living and photographing in southern Arizona. There are days the wanderlust bug bites Bo and then she wanders the roads to see what she can see.