Mexican Poppies are Everywhere

One of the common sights this time of year -- especially if there have been "winter" rains is Mexican Poppies. They grow along the sides of the roads, in and around trees, and in open fields. I really haven't figured out how to capture both their beauty and the number of them -- at the same time. You need a nice macro lens to get a close up of the detail. But, you need a wide angle lens with a large depth of focus to get their numbers. Nevertheless, they present a wonderful opportunity for photos by anyone with a camera.

Penstemon and Mexican Poppies

Continuing with wildflowers for now, here we have Penstemon (the purple flowers in the foreground) and Mexican Poppies. Photographing wildflowers is one of those very acceptable "interruptions" (for me) from moose, elk, bear, etc.  And, although a "macro photographer" would probably be able to take much better photos, I can get some wonderful color and composition. And, since most people have digital cameras, there are wonderful opportunities (for all) in the Tucson area now to have fun trying different angles, distances, compositions, and focuses. There is such a wide variety of wildflowers that you can get many different colors too. And, as you look at the photos you have taken, you realize that you have been able to capture some of nature's most beautiful and totally "wild" flowers.

Mexican Poppies

So, here are some Mexican Poppies I promised. I think it was our first year in Southern Arizona. We had gone down to Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge on the Mexican border looking for pronghorn and anything else we could find. (With some luck by the way). Driving back through the little town of Arivaca (where there is a second section of BANWR -- this one a birder's heaven). About five miles past Arivaca we started seeing these wildflowers everywhere. Finally, we thought a photo was appropriate. With all the rain we've had this year we expect to have a beautiful wildflower season (late March through April). We'll see. I learned that I can only make one weather prediction with absolute certainty: JUNE WILL BE HOT!