Do not touch -- a cholla lesson

Although they are beautiful, you should not get too close to a cholla cactus. The cholla have a spine that is extremely sharp and will instantly penetrate skin, clothing or even heavy boots. Almost instantly, when the spine enters the skin, the end of spine curls into a fishhook making it virtually impossible to remove without a great deal of pain. Cholla reproduce, in part, from parts of the stems falling onto the ground. The fallen stems take root and form new cactus. For this reason, the plants grow in thick clumps. The flowers are relatively small but come in lovely colors from waxy yellow to maroon.

A Flaming Torch for Memorial Day

 We went out to take some pictures and found this gorgeous Flaming Torch cactus in full bloom. Apparently, there are several plants with the name "Flaming Torch" but I doubt that any of them deserve the name as much as this one.  I thought this plant should be the national Memorial Day cactus, since it blooms on Memorial Day and could be a symbol for all of the sacrifice of all of our Armed Forces over the years. 

Butterflies, Butterflies

You can guess the name of this butterfly, the Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius). It was declared the Florida State Butterfly in 1996. The butterfly ranges over parts of North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. In North America the butterfly is found in the southern parts of the United States including Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North and South Carolina. In South and Central America, it has been recorded in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. See Wikipedia.

A Butterfly a Day

Nature's flying gems, the butterfly above is a Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) also known as the Green-clouded butterfly. It has two subspecies, Papilio troilus troilus and Papilio troilus ilioneus, found mainly in the Florida peninsula. The spicebush swallowtail derives its name from its most common host plant, the spicebush, members of the genus Lindera. Wikipedia. 

You can never see too many butterflies

Like all of my photos, you can click on the image and get an enlarged view. This is a Julia Heliconian (Dryas iulia). The sole representative of its genus Dryas, it is native from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida, and in summer can sometimes be found as far north as eastern Nebraska. Over 15 subspecies have been described. There are 14 subspecies. See Wikipedia. Enjoy the butterflies from the Desert Botanical Gardens Exhibit the next few days.

The Battle Between the Light and the Dark

The classic battle between light and dark is played out on the vast battlefield of the Grand Canyon. Every day there is skirmish at sunrise and sunset. On those days when the battle is raging, the clouds form the lines of demarcation and separate the combatants by outlining the vast gulfs between the ridges of light and those of darkness.

Indian Gardens and the Bright Angel Trail

The distances in the Grand Canyon are so vast that you cannot appreciate how far you are seeing. Looking down on Indian Garden, it is approximately 4.6 to 4.9 miles by trail (depending on who you believe), although not that far in a straight line from the view point. Unfortunately, since I cannot fly, I must walk the trail. Historically, this was an Indian trail used by the Havasupais for access to Garden Creek, the small stream that runs through the Garden. Starting at the South Rim, Bright Angel is the most traveled trail in the Grand Canyon.