April 30, 2002, Part 2
Go ahead, guess who commandeered the camera! We're enjoying the botanical gardens, and already it's worth the price. I think it was $6.50 for seniors (that would be me) and I told them I brought Barb and they were kind enough to let her in at a senior price as well. I'm standing first by an octopus cactus, and then by the biggest century plant we'd seen, and then there's this huge cactus that looks like a giant Christmas tree, one of those artificial ones that you stick the branches in. It's got a tapered trunk, quite large, with spindly branches or limbs. Now tell me, when I turn the camera on its side, why doesn't it take pictures the same size? Can it tell top from side from bottom? The older I get the more questions I have.
Barb has this fascination for big bugs. I'll admit I was impressed with the quality as well as the quantity of work to make this praying mantis. All carved out of wood and weighed over a ton.
The variety and size of cacti are amazing. That's about all that's in here, too, with a few other native plants.
This big bug is an assassination bug. Black walnut and some other woods, and then of course cactus blossoms.
A big lady bug (and the males are called male lady bugs...go figger) and then the overgrown teddy bear cactus. Who'd want to snuggle with that rascal?
A couple of mourning doves getting friendly on a rock. Actually, they knew what I only suspected. It was getting ready to rain. On the right is a honey bee and it's hive. This wood sculptor was prolific if nothing else.
OK. Now we're going to see some cactus. That's a prickly pear on the left and some barrel cactus on the right. Pretty nice arrangements, but see if I let Barb have the camera again very soon!
Darned things, these cacti. Just about when you get it figured out, there's a twist to it. The one in the picture on the right looked like it was wearing a crown of pretty purple flowers to me, must be a Hawaiian cactus :-)!
Lots of symbiotic relationships in the desert. We find more often than not that plants of different ancestry will group together. Must have something to do with either fighting with each other for the water beneath the surface, or by getting close to each other they support each other during times of stress. Like now, with the drought in its 6th year. On the right is a rare, crested saguaro. It's just an otherwise normal saguaro, but occasionally things will get fowled up in the growth process, and this is the result. So unusual that it's in the logo for the garden.
Little cactus, big blooms. There are more than a few hummingbirds around taking advantage of the blossoms. Even the grasses (at least I think it was grass) had stalks that shoot up with blossoms in them.
No end of variety, texture, color and shape. Notice the sneaky surprise in the lowest picture on the right? The one with the shortest saguaro with a blossom on it that we'd ever seen. Hint: It purrs. I'm sitting on a bench in the aloe section where their varieties and sizes are showcased.
Yeah, that's a wooden spider on her web, right at the entrance/exit to/from the garden.
Hey! I'm not the only thing around here with a beard! The handrail on the bridge was given detailed work, just to be nice.
Real nice detail. Sort of an example to us of the meticulous care give to the whole garden and, as an aside, this whole area--don't think we've ever seen such fine landscaping around so many freeways as we have here. Back to the garden. And then as we were leaving, the Gambel quails scampered by on the other side of the divider, and Barb managed to capture one right in the right spot. Great photographer, isn't she. Even if she does really, really love cactus blossoms. Who can blame her?