Natural History Wanderings

Organ Pipe National Monument  reports

No wonder the Sonoran Desert is known as the “green desert.” Thanks to the monsoon rains the desert is greening up and flowers are present. Not only are the cacti in bloom, such as the red flowers on this barrel cactus, our summer poppies are also visible. The orange poppy flowers are from the Arizona poppy (Kallstroemia grandiflora), which is a summer annual, and is in the same family as the creosote bush.

See photos at Organ Pipe National Monument