The desert to those who listen, is more likely to provoke awe than than to invite conquest. – Joseph Krutch 

It’s hard to understand that not every living thing needs water, or at least not a bucketful. I learned that the hard way. And since my home will always reflect my love for flowers and the outdoors, it was a lesson I would promise myself to learn when we landed in the desert.

This week, Ann-Christine challenges us take a look at flowers, favorite flowers. I laughed. I love them all. They seem to be experts at taking advantage of fleeting, short-lived, moments.

We should take notes.

Even dandelions have something sunshiny about them. To think they give us a chance to make wishes when they pass. is simply extra, in my opinion. #windkisses

Favorites? Maybe a sunflower. Like a dandelion they brighten the landscape of a farmer’s field, make their presence known in a meadow, and speak volumes in a vase.

Wildflowers? Have you ever turned a corner to discover a wildflower meadow in bloom? They cover the landscape like a patchwork quilt. But in the desert, the monsoons are paramount for the best of show. In fact, the delicate, white, rain-lilies, native to Arizona, only bloom with a decent monsoon, last a few days, and quietly sleep until next time.

It is cliché, but shouldn’t we all believe in, blooming where you are planted?

Last week our travels took us to Joshua Tree National Park. You can read about my first visit of the Dr. Seuss-inspired desert here.

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. – Dr. Seuss

For most, Joshua Tree is a drive-through park.  I encourage that.  You can see the strange looking trees, and fascinating rock structures from the seat of your car. I’m not sure Tulip Rock could ever compare to springtime tulips. It made my day, anyway.

As for Joshua Trees, there are cool ones, big ones, and the ones that frame the perfect view.

My favorite? The ones that will clearly jump on you when the sun sets.

But they aren’t trees at all. They are members of the lily family, called Yucca (Yucca brevifolia).  Flowers! They produce a spike with dangling bell-shaped flowers, and are monocots meaning they grow similar to a blade of grass. It is with irony that they happen to be thirty feet tall, and the Mohave Desert is the only place, in the world, they grow.

Our motivation for this trip was to hike, scramble, boulder, and to be present for both the sunrise and sunset. Even more…I wanted to see how the light played with these flowers that seem to walk through the desert landscape.

What do you see?

We didn’t see the blooms, they won’t flower until late winter with the proper nudge of rain. But, I arrived home to even sweeter irony. My yucca was blooming! And while it is clearly a different variety, the flowers are almost identical.

The silence of the desert quiets the mind for a moment.  Maybe it is to hear the yipping of coyotes in the distance, or the flapping wings of a raven overhead.  Maybe the parade of insects is worth the watch. Maybe not. But there is absolutely no doubt, the sun, whether it is coming or going, fuels our soul.

I found that in Joshua Tree.

Wind, Kisses, Donna

Inspiration: Fleeting Moments, Lens-Artists