Arizona Desert Wildflower Pictures
77Photographing Arizona Desert Wiildflowers
Winter visitors to the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona enjoy the endlessly sunny skies and dry desert air. Those who extend their stays into late February, March and April may also be lucky enough to see the desert come alive with cacti in bloom and tiny desert wildflowers nestled among the rocks and crevasses. Here are some of the Arizona desert wildflowers I photographed in the Imperial Dam Recreation Area while camping on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land near the Imperial Dam in southern Arizona. The area is called Senator Wash, and is a very popular spot for RV snowbirds from all over the country.
The Beavertail Cactus blooms
Photographing desert wildflowers
Hiking in the desert here is a joy as each footstep brings something new. Some flowers, like the yellow brittlebush, are tall and showy, but others are so tiny that they are hidden among the stones on the desert floor. Many of the desert wildflowers I photographed were only visible because I was standing within a foot or two of them. Many were photographed with a close-up lens.
Beavertail Cactus
While camping at Senator's Wash in the Imperial Dam Recreation Area on the Arizona/California border, we carefully avoided brushing against this beavertail cactus. By mid March, when daytime temperatures were often in the 70 to 80 degree range, the cactus was covered in buds. Imagine our delight when our own little cactus garden started blooming with these lovely deep pink blooms. These cactus flowers certainly made a bright spot in our little area of the Arizona desert.
During our walks in the nearby desert, we often came across other flowers, but our best wildflower hunting expeditions were on the rough back roads that we explored in our little Jeep Wrangler.
Wildflowers of Arizona's Sonoran Desert
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Picture gallery of Arizona's Wildflowers
I hope you've enjoyed this photo gallery of Arizona's Wildflowers as much as I enjoyed shooting them.
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Copyright 2010 ©Stephanie Henkel
Lying in gulches, braving snakes and other dangerous wildlife, I took these photos for you to enjoy. But please do not copy these photos without my permission!
Digital cameras can get beautiful close-ups of flowers
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The desert is simply amazing, especially in the springtime. Thank you for looking at my hub and for your nice comment, Mioluna.
Amazing photos! Makes me want to be there. Just beautiful!
Thank you for your comment, France Travel. The Arizona desert is a great place for snowbirds!
You did an amazing job capturing these beautiful wildflowers in bloom in the Arizona Desert. Thanks! Rating this beautiful.
Thanks for your kind comment, Peggy. I love photographing flowers! Thanks for looking at my hub.
These photos are lovely! We are now in Nevada and this inspires me to take some time to look around.
Thank you for your very nice comments, Thinkgreen. We saw some fantastic scenery in Nevada around Death Valley and in the Las Vegas/Lake Meade area. If you haven't been there yet, Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park are both wonderful. Enjoy your stay in Nevada!
Stephanie...What lovely botanical surprises you found in the Arizona desert! Your photography is quite beautiful. I enjoyed both your descriptions and photos, which allowed me to vicariously travel to Arizona while sitting in my office chair....Jaye
Thanks for looking at my hub, Jaye, and for your kind comments. I have to admit that I enjoy reliving some of our trips by browsing through pictures of scenery, flowers and wildlife. I'm always glad to know that others enjoy it, too.
Steph-you have many adventures to lean on for your hub subjects. If this is a small example of your creative work we are in for some real treats. Beautiful.
Beautiful pictures! I love plants and flowers too. The last time I visited Las Vegas, I saw a "banana cactus" (not sure if that's what they were called). Thanks for sharing these amazing photos. I like all of them, especially the desert lily. Voted beautiful. I am following you now.
Hello Happypuppy,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the pictures! I love the desert, especially in the spring when the cactus start blooming. Thanks for your comments and for your votes!
Stephanie: What a great hub! I have wanted to visit the dessert for so long now... I may get to this winter. This hub and your beautiful photographs have deepened my desire to go!
Beautiful hub! I enjoyed it so much that it made me smile. The photos are super and the plants are very special. The poppy flowers are my favorite ones. They are like a painting, colorful and fragile. Certainly, voted up!
Davenmidtown - Thanks for visiting my hub– I'm glad that my photographs have encouraged you to visit the desert! If you go this winter, I'm sure you'll love the diversity of scenes, plants and rocks!
Plinka - Thanks so much for your kind comments. I also love the poppies and other red flowers that we find when hunting wildflowers in the desert as they are such a bright spot in the landscape. Thanks for visiting my hub and for your vote!
Another great hub Stephanie. You continue to show us new possibilities. I love the photographs and can only imagine the positions you must have placed yourself in to get them. Thanks for the "floral" tour.
Awesome photos! So it's true that flowers which grow on deserts are extremely lovely. This hub justifies that!
Point2make - The flowers I photographed were fairly close to the trails as I don't like to take the chance of trampling the delicate plants. But I still kept a close watch out for rattlesnakes and other creepy crawlies! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the wildflower pictures! Thanks for your comments!
Ahydz - The flowers that bloom in the Arizona desert in the springtime are very lovely, and I enjoyed photographing them. Thanks you for stopping by to read my hub and to comment!
hi stephanie these photographs are great and a delight to watch!! desert flowers are so lovely, its like a ray of light in the darkness sort of thing!! voted up and beautiful
carriethomson
Carrie - Thank you for your very nice comments! I felt the same way when we first came upon spring wildflowers blooming in the desert after months of not seeing a blade of grass or a flower. Thanks so much for stopping by!
What a beautiful flowers! You have really captured the beauty of Arizona desert. Thanks for sharing.
I'm glad you enjoyed the photographs, Thelma. I feel very fortunate that I was able to be in the desert when the wildflowers were beginning to bloom. Thanks for your comment!
Gorgeous pictures, what amazing flowers you found in the desert!
I was directed here from davenmidtown's hub, and am so pleased I looked :)
Imogen French - I am so happy that you found me through Davenmidtown's hub! It was sweet of him to mention me, and introduce us! Glad you enjoyed the pictures of the desert wildflowers. Thanks for coming by and commenting!
mioluna 19 months ago
Incredible! How such a beauty can grow in desert!