SUMMER in Tucson, Arizona

We moved to the southwest. From the east coast. To be near family. I wanted my kids to know their grandparents. Mission Accomplished. Now I'm done. The summertime here is just ridiculous. Beyond hot, and humid besides. Monsoon season. Mosquitoes, tarantulas, scorpions, black widow spiders, rattlesnakes, poisonous desert toads (don't let your dogs touch them, often fatal). I hate to be inside; I want to be outside. I sat outside the other evening, with my horses. I can't count how many bug bites I have. It is not pretty.

BUT

Here is some desert pretty:

Southwestern thornapple?

Juvenile giant saguaro cactus, surrounded by 'nurse' trees. The saguaro doesn't grow arms until it is 40-50 years old.

I'm not sure if this is a creosote bush or brittlebush. All of this stuff just grows wild.

Rabbitbrush? I think......

Back east, I knew the names of most flowers and shrubs. Too hot to learn them all here.

And here's a shady thicket of different shrubs and small trees. That's prickly pear cactus, with fruit on it. I have a friend that makes a syrup from the fruit, it is delicious. And javelina (wild roaming animals that look like boars, but aren't) love them too. You can always tell when they've been around, because there will be mashed fruit all over the place.

So, it's a wild place to live. And one day, in the not too distant future, we will leave for higher ground. And cooler climate.

:0)