Orange Aloe

 Orange aloe is very unusual. These are not cacti. They are one of the multitude of species of aloe. There are a cacti in the background. This was a cool wintery day. 

Cactus Spines

 According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactus)

A cactus (pl. cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales.

The spines are highly modified leaves and come from specialized structures called areoles. The areoles or the roundish white dots at the base of the spines, are highly modified branches. Some plants have spines but only cacti have areoles. 

One on the basic experiences of living in the Arizona Sonora desert is dealing with cactus is all their varied forms. Newcomers inevitably find out that the spines are sharp, very sharp. 

We had aloe vera growing around our house in Mesa, Arizona for years. There are over 650 species of aloes. Aloe is a genus that is native to Africa, Madagascar, Jordan, and the Arabian Peninsula. Most aloes are grown as ornamental plants, but many have medicinal uses. We often used the juice for burns of all kinds. This aloe plant is growing in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. 

A Path in the Desert

One of the stellar attractions in the Salt River Valley is the Desert Botanical Garden. This is my favorite place to visit. The Garden is continually changing not only with the seasons but with new things to see and do. If you go to Phoenix or any of the surrounding communities, do not miss going to the Desert Botanical Garden. 

 

Blue with Cold

 I found this poor garden statue stranded in the snows of January. I know you can get blue with cold, but I wonder how it affected her hair also.