Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Yellow and Green

While many trees haven't seemed to recover from the deep freeze last month, and native grasses and wildflowers did not make an appearance yet, this rangy shrub stands out because of its springlike coloring.




A member of the Mormon-tea family, Ephedraceae, this plant has long green stems with tiny brown cones and yellow flowers.




Small birds such as this verdin are attracted to it,


and deer nibble on it.


Spring seems to be coming later than usual to this corner of the desert, but it is coming, and it's exciting to see new signs each day.


No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.  ~Guinean Proverb

33 comments:

angryparsnip said...

Wonderful photos today !
I love the way you always seem to see such great wildlife. Do you walk around Sabino Canyon ?

I was very surprised when saw some pink wildflowers a few days ago by Craycoft.
I'm going to drive back and bring my camera and see if they are still there.

cheers, parsnip

Betty Manousos said...

thanks for these gems!!
oh my word, these are stunning photograpgs!!
what a great start to the day.

thanks, dianne!

spring spung already.

b xx

Thérèse said...

I like the "mesh effect" of your first picture!
I am glad to learn about the Ephedraceae whose name I have been looking for for a while now...

Gaelyn said...

Not sure I've spotted the cone and flower on the Mormon tea. Will be looking for them.

cieldequimper said...

A good lesson today. Fantastic. That little bird is such a cutie!

Unknown said...

Spring is catching up quickly.
Beautiful photographs.
Cosats

Barb said...

It reminds me a bit of forsythia. I love the bird and deer checking it out, too!

Loree said...

Beautiful close-up shots.

DoanLegacy said...

What a wonderful post! Love the flowers, bird and the deer..

Dawn said...

Love how you caught that wee bird in the stems of it all!
Like your quote on spring:)

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

What a wonderful photos! I liked them very much!

Magpie said...

Yes, spring is sure to follow winter...please always. I love the little Verdin. I call them "little pippy birds".

tracy said...

Oh, man, remember how we were all salivating over the beautiful Spring we had last year?

Stephanie said...

These yellow bush brightens up your desert. Perhaps they are cheering for spring ;-)

Allison said...

That last pictures is just dreamy! I'm thinking... where are my western love-story novels? :)

rainfield61 said...

I like the colour, but it never seems like the color of spring.

Rohrerbot said...

It's finally here and I am glad. Now that I've done all the severe pruning our place doesn't look so nice but I see new buds and know it's gonna look great this summer. I love all the wildlife around you. I love the mule deer shot.

Magpie said...

Diane, you so deserve this Stylish Blogger Award. Your blog is wonderful.
http://inovermyhead-magpie.blogspot.com/

Martha Z said...

You are a careful observer of the natural world, Diane.

Clytie said...

I love that cute little verdin bird ... and the deer ... and the feeling of imminent spring!

Spring is late here too. Sigh. Soon???

Kenneth Larsson said...

Very nice shots! Thanks for sharing them with us!

Have a nice day! :-)

•°°• IcyBC •°°• said...

Love that shrubs with little yellow flowers! The bird and the deer at a touch to a wonderful wild life in your area..

Spring is surely slow this year for us too.

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

Beautiful colors!

EG CameraGirl said...

The desert is so pretty right now!

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

I agree with EG Wow...

Lindy said...

Lovely, as always.

Anya said...

Very fantastic shots :-)
All puurfect !!!!

Enjoy your sunday :)

betchai said...

oh, beautiful shots Diane, whether it does not look spring like yet.

Heidi said...

Diane,
Your pics are so beautiful. The desert is an amazing place. Have a great week!

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

Beautiful post!

Candice Suter.....Sweetstuff said...

Beautiful shots and love those macros! Love that little bird and the yellow in the brush is great!

SquirrelQueen said...

Spring is running late this year so even touches of color are appreciated. Beautiful photos.

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

I agree with all these comments...