The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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February in Arizona means the wildflowers are not that far off. I’m excited this year. The Sonoran Desert needs rainfall in late January and early February for the annuals to really put on a show. This has not happened in a couple years. But this year we are dealing with mild El Nino conditions. That means a storm once a week that has blessed us with the wet stuff. Every year we have a beautiful show of our perennials without fail. Some are better than others. But it takes well timed rain to set off the shower of annuals that can literally cover the desert floor.
Two years ago when these photos were taken, Brittlebush was the only thing going wild with blooms. The plants grow up to 5 feet tall, so they have a large enough root system to retain what rainfall comes in December and January to use for reproduction.
Oddly, there was little trace of my favorite perennial, Globe Mallow. A bush that blooms at the same time, leaving wonderful sprays of orange and yellow across the hillsides. Even up in the Verde Valley, it is prevalent. One year it decided to take hold in water basin of a pear tree of mine. That was the only time I saw it bloom through the summer heat.
While most of you are still shoveling snow, we are in what we call here,’Chamber of Commerce Weather.’ The desert has highs in the 70’s and 80’s, and life gets a jump on the year. By May the desert is in the 100’s and the plants go dormant, waiting for the summer rains.
Later in April, our state tree, the Palo Verde explodes in flowers. It is amazing to see this. Check the link for photos. This tree is rare in that it has Chlorophyll in it’s bark, allowing it to produce energy when it’s so hot that it’s leaves are almost nonexistent.
So get ready! I’m excited to take some trips to the lowlands and warm up and watch the beauty of nature unfold before my eyes. I hope to have photos of the dozens of different annuals that should be on the way.
What’s up in nature in your area today?
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