Imagine in the wilds of the Sonoran desert, a small oasis filled with cottonwood, sycamore, willow and walnut trees surrounded by forests of saguaro cacti. This incredible parcel of 27 acres, The Jewel of the Creek Preserve, holds one of the last remaining perennial streams in the area. A delightful overcast morning, guided by ranger Kevin Smith of the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation area, we hiked down a rocky path to the lower section of what’s called the Dragonfly trail. (Yep, in this part of the desert there are twenty different species of dragonflies!)
native sunflower
We rock-hopped across streams filled with cattails and walked along paths bursting with native sunflowers and sprinkled with bees and butterflies. We even flushed out a deer resting in the underbrush and watched a couple mud turtles play in the water. And you thought the desert was just a bunch of rocks and rattlesnakes! (Well…truth is…there are plenty of those too!)
Another little hidden gem is the pincushion cactus. No more than six inches in height, this tiny cactus has pink flowers and blooms only after the first rain of the summer…and today these little treasures were beaming everywhere!
Even after living in the desert for some 25 years there’s always something to learn…who knew you could eat the nuts from the jojoba bush?
beautiful sunflower shot, glad you had fun in the desert 🙂
Reading this post has reminded me of the times we drove to the desert east of us when we lived in San Diego when the kids were young, Robin. We would see FIELDS of spring flowers in the dry river beds. Talk about seeing the desert with new eyes! I’m sure you have experienced this over and over again. How beautiful!
Looking forward to experiencing this hike. Thanks for sharing. Xo
Very nice photos.
I love flowers, and I am especially drawn to blooming cactus. Love the colors and textures you captured! MORE!! GH
Just beautiful!