This past Monday my sister (Daisy Mom) took me and my family to a very special place at the base of the desert mountains.  Beautiful gardens, plant collections from around the world and wild animals were on display for all to see at “The Living Desert”.

Palm Springs California, Teddy Bear Cholla, Ocotillo and the yellow flowers of Brittlebush grace the desert.

The Palm Springs area  is located in the midst of the California desert.  One of the first things that you notice about this area is that it is surrounded by tall, snow covered mountains.  It is a wonderful example of how mountains block much of the rain from entering the desert.

My nephews, niece and children were all ready for a fun day.

We were still in the parking lot when I knew that I was in trouble….I felt pulled in so many different directions by the beautiful and unusual plants that I saw.

Saliva coccinea

In general, flowering plants are what I am drawn to and there were so many to look at.  Countless flowering plants were enjoying the warmer then normal temperatures of the upper 70’s.

The tiny purple flowers of Trailing Indigo Bush (Dalea greggii), contrast nicely with the gray-green foliage of this groundcover.

Beautiful trees were also in flower…

Australian native, Weeping Wattle (Acacia saligna) is covered with golden puffball flowers.

Flowering Parry’s Penstemon (Penstemon parryi)

 Yellow Columbine benefits from the water from this stone fountain.

 My son, two daughters and niece stop by the pond to see the tadpoles.

  One of my favorite flowering plants that grows well in light shade, Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera).

 Salvia (I haven’t looked this one up yet)

 Another Penstemon  Did I mention already that I love Penstemons?

 This low-growing shrub is absolutely covered in tiny purple flowers.

Are you tired yet?

Today’s portion of our tour is almost over…

 I love these African Daisies with their orange petals and purple center.

 I have a preference for plants that produce plumes of flowers, such as this Coral Fountain (Russelia equisetiformis).

I mentioned yesterday that I took over 500 pictures of our visit and I did promise not to make you sit through all of them.  But I do have a few more to show you.  So our next visit together will focus on some of the unusual plants that we saw.  

There were many smaller paths that led off from the main path and there were always surprises around the bend – usually spectacular vistas along with some unusual plants.  More about that next time…. 

  My daughter, heading down a path – not sure what she will find at the end.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to view some of the beauty of this special place.

I have left one of my favorite pictures for you to view in preparation for tomorrow’s post of unusual plants.

Now, I am off to the dentist….