It’s been 6 years since Joe and I moved back to New Mexico. It’s been my dream to explore all the natural wonders of our state, creating a diary of our travels through photographs. Many of those places have hidden treasures that can only be found by hiking to them. Along the way we’ve been compiling photos of all the wildflowers. After the monsoon rains in the summer, the wildflowers begin to bloom and we’ve been fortunate to find many of them. We routinely find a variety of flowers at the Valle Caldera, the Sandia Crest trails, El Morro National Monument and even the trails close to home. Truthfully, Joe and I spend hours and get lost in thought while taking pictures of flowers when we go hiking. He keeps track of our miles and how fast we are walking which slows to a snails pace when we reach a valley of flowers. I particularly love cactus flowers. Those colors are my colors, from the sunshine yellows, to the peach colored orange to the vivid pinks. The cactus above is located on the Riverside trail in Rio Rancho. The trail from Riverside heading north is covered in Prickly Pear Cactus and when they begin to bloom there is nothing more beautiful. You can hear the bumblebees buzzing from flower to flower until their legs are heavy with pollen. If you are into wildflowers or any flowers for that matter, you will love the unique wildflowers of New Mexico.
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Our state flower “The Yucca”.
Our state tree “The Piñon Tree”. The cones on a Piñon Tree open like a flower when they mature. Enclosed inside are little brown hulls filled with Piñons aka Pine Nuts. They are a favorite snack when roasted and salted.
If I made a bouquet of wildflowers, I would include these as an accent.
The shades of purple.
The tiny flowers that are sometimes overlooked!
Sunshine in the form of a flower.
There’s nothing cuter than a bumblebee butt in a cactus flower!
The Cholla Cactus. This was our first hike after the move taken in May, 2018 with the Sandia Mountain in the background.
Last but definitely not least; this “Hedgehog Cactus” is from my backyard. They only bloom once a year but for a couple of weeks they have the most vibrant blooms!
An Inspired Cook 