Category Archives: Botanica

Desert Life

We go for walks in the desert. Now that spring is warming everything up, all types of desert inhabitants start to appear. Heat loving cactus are blooming, cold-blooded lizards bask in the sun and rabbits forage fallen seeds. I love the desert.

Field of Chollas

Chollas are botanically in the subfamily of Opuntioideae, the same family which includes cactus’s with broad, flat leaves. The leaves of the Cholla are round-ish and really spiny. They quickly become stuck to any object that comes close to it. Their spines hurt and aren’t easy to remove once impaled in either fabric, fur orContinue reading “Field of Chollas”

Allium ampeloprasum – Elephant Garlic

The genus Allium is a fabulous species. It includes the garlics, notably the Elephant Garlic as celebrated by this painting. When in bloom they are showy beyond words, when roasted with olive oil and on sour dough, well, you’d think you’d died and gone to heaven. Enjoy! https://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/1148690

Ocotillo

Ocotillos, indigenous to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Mexico, are a plant with long, spiny leafed stems bearing flags of densely packed orange to red flowers at their tips. Their branches grow to 15-20 ft. high in tight clusters. Have you ever seen one? https://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/1066090

Sugar Pine Cone – Pinus lambertiana

Drawn to scale, the cone of the Sugar Pine shown here is in the medium range in size. These cones can grow to over two feet in length. They are superb in their symetry and the rythmic spiraling of their woody scales. https://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/1029498