cactus – Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

Flower of the day – Cholla cactus

This one I know – I think, my guess is Cholla 🌵cactus

The various species of Devil Cholla are all Club Cholla, so-called because they have club-shaped joints with well-defined tubercles. Devil Cholla have no sheaths on spines. All are low-growing, often forming thick mats that can be impenetrable. Spines come in all colors, but can be sharp as daggers.

Mojave Desert of southern Nevada is where I took these photos

Opuntia parishii
Desert: Mojave Desert of eastern California, southern Nevada and eastern Arizona
Height: Up to 4 inches
Joints: Obovoid segments up to an inch in diameter
Flowers: Lemon-yellow with greenish centers
Fruit: Fleshy, smooth, yellow, to 3 inches long
Elevation: 6,000-8,000 feet

For Cee´s Flower of the Day.

Mount Charleston

Landscapes, Nature, Travel, Traveling US

This place is about hour and half away from Las Vegas and it baffles me that even the locals do not visit it that often. Lovely , cooler nature sanctuary form the hotness of the town. Mount Charleston, it was on the second day of our trip that we decided to refresh our memories from this place. It was worth the drive. We drove to Mt. Chaleston lodge that is hidden at elevation 7,000 feet among the juniper and sweet ponderosa pine of Kyle Canyon.

Valley of Fire~5

Landscapes, Nature, Traveling US

my last post, for now , from Valley of fire. I thought we could do with a splash of warm orange hues, sunshine and warmth that has been in these photos. Sorry for the overload. This also works as my diary I gather my memories here. So these are smaller details, textures from this location and a bird and a lizard.

Valley of Fire~1

Landscapes, Nature, Travel, Traveling US

Valley of fire in Mojave Desert in Nevada. It had been about 35 years since my previous visit to this colorful place of red Aztec sandstone outcrops nestled in gray and tan limestone mountains.

The area plant community is dominated by widely spaced creosote bush, burro bush and brittlebush. Several cactus species, including beaver tail and cholla, are also common

Las Vegas Desert

Landscapes, Nature, Travel, Traveling US

The second day we where contemplating as what to do. As stated we do not gamble so instead of heading to the casinos we went to see sights. Our first place to visit was Valley of Fire in the Mojave Desert. It is unbelievable that in the middle of the desert you can find these beautiful red rock formations. I will post several post from there as I did take so many photos of this colorful place.

These photos are from the drive through the “normal” Las Vegas desert with the mountains surrounding it beautifully. It does not look that spectacular, but if you look closely you can see beauty here too. What do you think, have I captured beauty of the desert?