At Home on Azure Sky: Yes, We Have Trees (and Bushes)

Foothills Palo Verde cloaked in gold blossoms.

Most of the wildflowers have spent their blooms or gone dormant by mid-May. The hot, dry days encourage plants to slow down their growth and conserve life-sustaining resources until monsoon season arrives (around June 15) with its promise of rain. I've been collecting seed to plant this fall to encourage another beautiful blossom fest next March. My sister-in-law Elaine, though she may not know it yet, will be the beneficiary of several envelopes of penstemon, anemone, desert marigold, scorpion- and Arizona jewel-flower ovules.

While the wildflowers have completed their annual reproductive cycle, many trees and bushes are showing off their bright colors. Palo Verde (which are true trees with green bark) are just finishing putting out their delightful yellow blooms. A couple weeks ago, driving through the desert was like wading through a sea of yellow, as the Palo Verde contributed their color to what has been a particularly fruitful spring.

Fuzzy flowers of catclaaw acacia.

The legumes of the Sonoran Desert--velvet mesquite, catclaw acacia, and mimosa wait-a-minute bush-- are turning out fuzzy, fragrant floral tendrils that will soon become long, string bean-like pods. My favorite of the legumes, silverthorn acacia, is exploding with tiny, bright yellow puffballs that smell wonderfully sweet.

Velvet mesquite.

Desert willows are covered with pink and dark purple tubular flowers that emit a light, pleasant scent. This native of washes isn't really a willow at all; it is a close relative of the catalpa tree. Because it is so beautiful, it is often used as an ornamental in residential and commercial landscaping.

Creosote's yellow blooms have faded and evolved into minute silvery puffs. These abundant bushes will continue to envelope the desert with their dusty vanilla scent every time we receive a monsoon rain.