Butterflies

It's definitely spring. (Well, technically, it's been spring in Arizona for a while now...)

Here are some photographs of butterflies from the Desert Botanical Garden.



Photos by Sway Sovay

A Visit to the DBG

The boyfriend and I visited Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden a few weekends ago.

Now, normally, I don't show much interest in, nor would I ever recommend, going to an outdoor attraction at the height of day in Arizona during the summer because of all the melting that inevitably takes place; however, this particular weekend we both agreed that the usual routine of hiding indoors all day desperately needed to be interrupted. At least just this once.

Results: I wish I could say I had some beautiful photos to show you, but the truth is that I spent so much time feeling unreasonably hot and disgusting that there were few moments in which I was willing to pause for photo ops. Therefore, I regret to report that I only have one photo of a cactus flower and one photo of a lizard to share.

After maybe a dozen attempts, I did manage to get a fairly clear shot of the lizard. Predictably, there are a lot of these little guys crawling around Arizona, but I have never seen one this big (maybe 8 or 9 inches long).


What I'm really looking forward to is this: Las Noches de las Luminarias, an event that takes place every December when the garden is lit by hundreds and hundreds of white lights and candles in paper bags.

By that time of year, the temperatures have usually turned just the right degree of chilly (well, chilly by AZ standards, anyway), making the atmosphere so cozy and perfect for chai tea, hot cocoa, pumpkin pie and all those other cool weather indulgences.

Not to mention there's also good wine and good music and good dancing. One of my favorite local musical acts are the Sahnas Brothers, who are regulars each year. They are full-blood Greeks who were raised in Mexico and play beautiful Spanish guitar melodies.

Ah, I can't wait until the high temperatures finally drop below 100 degrees.

Photos by Sway Sovay

A Little Greenery Never Hurt Anyone

...unless maybe we're talking about Poison Ivy, ala the adventures of Batman and Robin.

Someone left this super cute little plant on my desk before I got into the office this morning, and thankfully, poison ivy is it not.

It's such a handsome little plant. I wonder how long it will take me to kill it. Ladies and gentlemen, start the clock.

And start the second clock for how long it takes me to find out who left the poor doomed thing on my desk.

Holiday Cactus

I've discovered that a lot of the plants that can be described as low maintenance and are still capable of surviving this oppressive Arizona heat are non-blooming succulents. Which presented me with an interesting task, since I really wanted some sort of flowering plants to liven up my new (but very bare) balcony.

I'll be honest, most varieties of cacti don't do it for me. I appreciate their place in the world, really I do, and I admire them for their hardiness, but to me they're just a little... boring...














Except for maybe the holiday cactus, also known as a Christmas cactus (among other names). I think their blooms are gorgeous, and they come in the most beautiful colors.

But for one reason or another, I have had the worst luck with these little guys.

I know a lot of people who have had great success with their holiday cactus plants, and they all say that the care level has been relatively low, but I don't know how this can be.

The thing about holiday cacti is that they have crazy specific requirements for light and temperature and water in order to bloom properly. So many hours a day of light, so many hours a day of darkness, a certain temperature above or below this or that, a certain schedule of watering, etc... It's sort of maddening.















Common sense would tell me to give up, but now it's almost become a game to me. I'm going to keep trying until I perfect the science of keeping one both alive and blooming, just you wait and and see.

At least I can say that because they're native to here, they tend to be fairly cheap. And I'll probably keep reminding myself of that fact each time I have to throw another one out.

Top Photo: Nayana Sondi
Bottom Photo: plantoftheweek.org