I live in Phoenix Arizona.  People think of the desert as a hot, dry, brown place.  That could not be further from the truth.  This year during monsoon season Phoenix experienced heavier rainfall than is typical.  Following those torrential rains comes the promise of spring wildflowers.  Super bloom time has arrived in the Sonoran Desert.

The desert is bursting with wildflowers.  It’s a beautiful time to see the colors of the Sonoran desert.  Even though I can’t hike yet due to my injury, I did drive to a trailhead to experience that beauty firsthand.

The buds of the Jumping Cholla  ready to bloom

Honey bee feeding on Baja Fairy Duster Flower

Close up of a Pink Baja Fairy Duster Flower

This is not the brown deser, this is super bloom time..

Saguaro in the colorful desert

The Creosote bush emits a lovely scent following a rain storm, we think of it as the smell of rain.

Eleganat Brodiaea

Desert Marigold dot the landscape throughout the Sonoran desert.

Lupine flowers

This ridge of iconic Saguaro cactus is near my home

For years I’ve driven along one particular road and never noticed the majestic ridge of Saguaro cactus, until the other day.  This time it wasn’t about completing a hike, it   was about taking time to notice and see the beauty around me. The old adage is apropos.  Take time to smell the wildflowers.