I'm not sure if this Palo Verde tree is in full bloom yet. I decided to photograph it now, just in case it is. If Great Aunt Laura was still alive, she could tell me. After all, Palo Verde are her trees, which bloomed specifically for her birthday (April 15.) Or so she said.
They grow with hardly any water, and once a year they put on a pretty great show. The desert is not all brownish and cactusy. At this time of year, it's rather pretty.
And lest the lowly oleander feel left out, here is a picture of a small one gracing the front of my Aunt and Uncle's house. In the 50s, southern Californians went crazy with oleanders, planting them in their yards and along highway medians. Then they found out it only takes 5 leaves to kill a cow. A lot of people took Oleanders out of their yards. They seem to be back, though--I guess people aren't trying to keep cows in their yards any more.
Oleander is not as breathtaking as the spring rhododendrons in Seattle, but the blossoms are a lovely and welcome diversion from spikey green things.
Happy birthday, Aunt Laura. Inexplicably, the desert continues to bloom without you.
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2 comments:
Wondering where you've gotten off to. Did you find a cool place to go for the Summer? Can I go, too? Have a good time. LS
BTW, I'm still getting Palo Verde blossoms in the waterfall pond. Not as many, and mostly from the city's tree that leans over my fence. I wonder if they'd someone to clean it up. No, I thought not.
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