#claretcup

[speedyz3]

Beauty in the desert. We saw lots of cacti while traveling around in the Capital Reef area, but very few that had started blooming yet. This Claret Cup was a striking contrast to the rugged beauty of the desert.

[phytophiliac]

Echinocereus triglochidiatus inermis by Richard Ellis Via Flickr: Echinocereus triglochidiatus, the Claretcup Cactus, is native to the southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. #Echinocereustriglochidiatus #Echinocereus #triglochidiatus #ClaretCup #KingCup #MojaveMound #cactus #flower #red #redflower #denverbotanicgardens

[hepmanscactusblog]

Claretcup Cactus.

Danke, sduzynski (US)!

[freshtendril]

The Texas Claretcup blooms are so bright, so welcome, so fleeting as each bloom lasts a day. Then they will remain as a memory until refreshed next year.

[clayhaus]

Bloomin’ Claret Cups. #WestDesert #Cactus #claretcups #GreatBasin #BasinAndRange #springtime🌸 #clayhausphotography https://www.instagram.com/p/CAB-JLoA2bi/?igshid=9usp2ovpclta

[cactguy]

Echinocereus triglochidiatus / Claretcup cactus This one is a rescue that my friend Tim gave me, which sat unplanted for months until I put it in the ground last fall - before an ice storm and a few freezes. Evidently, this is one tough specimen.

[daniellefoushee]

Even more mindblowing beauty in the Southwest desert // . . . . . . // #wildflowers #flowers #colorful #inspiration #creativity #hikerslife #hiking #claretcup #cactus #ocotillo #mojaveaster #laceleafphacelia #phacelia #desertlife #desert #mojave #sonorandesert #southwest #lovethisplace #longweekend #camping #getoutside #publicland #savepubliclands #nationalpark #mojavenationalpreserve #mojavedesert @mypubliclands @nationalparkservice @mojavedesertlandtrust (at Mojave Desert)

[mypubliclands]

Blossoms transform the New Mexico desert

Just one surge of late spring rain over the New Mexico desert is all it takes to replace the drab shades of winter with the vibrancy of flower blooms. New Mexico ranks number four in plant diversity in the nation- and the spring and summer seasons exhibit the most dramatic transformation in full color.

The unique adaptations of high-elevation desert plants such as cacti, require rain to ‘wake up’ and burst into life. Prickly pear, tree cholla, devil’s cholla and claretcup brighten the landscape with their red, violet, yellow and orange hues. These flowers provide an oasis for pollinators and other insects. Later in the season, the fruits of these plants serve as food for rabbits, squirrels, birds, beetles and deer.

Other plants bloom at a slower pace. In a ponderosa pine forest, penstemon and three-nerved daisies flower from early spring to late summer. In piñon-juniper woodlands and desert sites, milkvetch, Indian paintbrush, fleabane, primrose and gilia ornament the landscape. Many of these blooms provide food for certain pollinators. Evening primrose is almost exclusively pollinated by moths, particularly the hummingbird moth.

Historically, New Mexican plants have been used for medicine, spiritual practices and for sustenance. The Pueblo of Jemez used Indian Paintbrush to prevent spoilage of chili seeds because the plant’s chemical properties act as a natural pest repellent. To this day, prickly pear pads, or “nopales”, are commonly eaten while their fruits can be made into tasty jam or lemonade. This versatile plant was also used a precursor to modern-day first aid medicine. The gel within the cactus pads soothe burns and open wounds, while the spines can serve as suture needles to close a wound. The Navajo considered globemallow the “Life Medicine” as it was used for colds, headaches and for stimulating appetite.

Spring and summer open up many opportunities to truly enjoy nature and its history. Visiting public lands allows people to connect with their environment, so ignite your inner botanist and get outside!

Story and photos by Annie Montes, Associate Ecologist, and Alec Bryan, Rangeland Management Specialist.

[worldrandom]

State Facts 

Name after the Colorado River, but where there name for the river come from?

Centennial state -nickname after a century of the USA Declaration of Independence 

Colorado Springs is the largest city by area 

State Captial Denver Largest City 

State SIze Land and water 104,094 miles 

Population 5,758,736

Statehood 8-1-1876

Number of Counties 64 

Highest Point Mount Elbert in Lake County 

lowest point arikaree river 

length 280 miles width 380 miles 

state motto Nil Sine Numie (nothing without the Detiy) 

Noble Prize WInners 3

Famous People Dutch Clark, Rich Gossage, Anna Suphio Robb

State Reptile Western Painted Turtle 

State Fossil Stegosauas 

State Amphibian Western Tiger Salamander 

State Fish Greenback cutthrout trout 

State Mammal rocky Mountain big horn sheep 

State bird Lark Bunting 

State Pet Colorado Shelter Pets 

State Gemstone Aquamarine 

State Mineral Rhodochrosite 

State Catus Claretcup cactus 

State tree Colordo BLue Spruce 

State Insect Colorado hairstreak butterfly 

[travel2unlimited]

Baja - Cacti & Succulents Up Close & Personal While cardon cacti and boojum trees are massive, there are many smaller cacti and succulents close to the ground that have beautiful flowers and otherworldly shapes and feature. Some of the bigger cacti are also great targets for macro photography. The tiny mammilaria and fishhook cacti are only a few inches tall but have arrays of beautiful flowers on their tops. Opuntsias and other chollas have needle that almost can pierce bodyarmor and most definitely your shoes and soles and your skin. Massive candelabra cacti have tiny yellow flowers that appear on stocks. Claretcup cacti explode with beautiful red flowers. And just zooming on the curved and weird needles of the barrel cacti or the hair of the bearded cacti makes for awesome shots. Several species of aloe have thick leaves that wrap around each other in their hearts. And ocotillo blooms this time of the year with stunning red flowers on empty branches. #travel2unlimited #travel #travelblogger #mexico #centralamerica #baja #natgeo #natgeotravel #wildlife #bajacalifornia #adventure #roadtrip #cacti #cactus #cardon #desert #succulent (at Baja California Desert) https://www.instagram.com/p/COHaJaNB1WR/?igshid=g4smdc6p48kt

[wigmund]

From National Wildlife Federation Photo of the Week; January 27, 2017:

Arizona Wildlife

National Wildlife's 46th annual Photo Contest is now open! Check out some of our favorite photos from past National Wildlife photo contests. Each week we'll celebrate nature and wildlife from a different state. This week we're featuring Arizona wildlife!

Photo Above: Nature photographer Yvonne Kippenberg writes she "was surprised to see the snuggling Lovebirds (Agapornis sp.)" near her home. The Arizona resident captured the moment using a Nikon D7000.

Photographer and researcher Alex Badyaev photographed this Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) sitting on an old carrion high in a canopy of an ironwood tree pausing to listen to the midnight Sonoran Desert. He writes, "In areas with abundant coyotes, gray foxes and pumas store their catches high in the canopy of tall ironwoods." The Arizona resident used a Canon 1D Mark IV with a 15mm lens.

Photographer Saija Lehtonen made this image of a female Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister) hanging off an Organ Pipe Cactus (Stenocereus thurberi) early in the morning, as it looked for its breakfast. The Arizona resident used a Nikon D7000 with a 28-300mm lens.

Nature photographer Martin Spilkin writes, "I've wanted to photograph Arizona's Horseshoe Bend since starting my photography career. The sunsets were magical and I was lucky to capture the moment with my camera." The Florida resident used a Nikon D6000 with a 500mm lens.

Photographer William Lax photographed this baby Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) jumping to catch a Giant Hairy Scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis) in Gilbert, Arizona using a Nikon D4 with a 300mm f/4 lens.

Photographer Archie Tucker made this 2015 honorable mention image, Claretcup Awakening, during springtime at the Desert Botanical Garden. The Arizona resident used a Sony A77 camera.

Wildlife photographer Michael Olson caught a "candid shot of a Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris) preening its iridescent plumage at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona" using a Konica-Minolta DiMage Z3 camera.

Birder and amateur photographer, Ed Schneider writes he made this "Saguaro Cactus Pollination" image while searching for Gila woodpeckers to photograph in Mt. Lemmon, Arizona. The Tennessee resident used a Nikon D300 with a 500mm f/4 lens.

Photographer Jim Zuckerman got this shot when a Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) dipped down for a drink of water and triggered his phototrap, which housed a Canon 5D Mark II.

Photographer Peter Leabo photographed "dust blowing through Antelope Canyon, illuminated by a beam of sunlight pouring through an opening in the top of the canyon as sands blowing into the canyon form a sand fall." The Wisconsin resident used a Canon 6D with a 17-40mm lens.

Arizona wildlife photographer Michael Jennings writes, "Whether you find them fearsome of fascinating, rattlesnakes are an important part of the desert ecosystem. Unfortunately, they tend to be misunderstood and they are often unnecessarily killed. Although this rattlesnake is in a fierce pose, he is only reacting defensively to my presence." The Arizona resident used a Nikon D2X to capture this moment between him and a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) in Saguaro National Park.

Photographer Joseph Castello made this image of the Grand Canyon's North Rim in Arizona at sunset shortly after a rainfall. The Illinois resident used a Nikon D300 with a 11-16mm lens.

Nature photographer Ian Cassell photographed a Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) hen and her newly hatched chick in Phoenix, Arizona using a Canon 7D Mark II camera.

Photographer Karsten Rau made this image in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. She writes, "This amazing rock formation is located at the Coyote Buttes, where the last light before sunset turns this pale sandstone into an intense golden-red color." The resident of Germany used a Minolta Dynax5 with a 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 lens.

Photography Jerome Maillet writes, "I waited patiently for this finch to land and taste the Jelly for 2 hours. He finally got used to me being nearby." The Arizona resident used a Nikon D80 camera to capture the moment in Cave Creek, Arizona.

Nature photographer Lisa Langell took this photo in the few seconds that a Julia Butterfly (Dryas iulia) landed inside a Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) plant before taking off at Phoenix, Arizona's Desert Botanical Garden. The Arizona resident used a Canon 40D with a 70-300mm lens.

Photographer Michael Jennings made this summer image of a Saguaro cactus in Arizona's Saguaro National Park moments before an afternoon thunderstorm. He writes, "A few months after this photo was taken lightening struck the saguaro in the foreground, forever changing this magnificent scene." The Arizona resident used a Nikon F100 camera.

Alexander Badyaev also photographed this House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) in the first light of a Sonoran sunrise using a Canon Mark IV camera.

Landscape photographer Durand Johnson made this image of the Milky Way over Monument Valley in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. He writes, "I waited for the right time of year so that the setting crescent moon would provide just enough light to brighten the land but not so much light to wash out the Milky Way." The Utah resident used a Canon 5D Mark II with a 24mm lens, and made the panorama photo with 7 vertical images stitched together end-to-end. Read National Wildlife's Let There Be Night.

More from the National Wildlife Federation:

About the Arizona Wildlife Federation

NWF Blogs about Arizona Wildlife

Arizona Wildlife Federation's Facebook Page

Nature's Witnesses: Powerful images of wilderness can inspire conservation.

Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips Center

[phytophiliac]

Echinocereus triglochidiatus is known by several common names, including kingcup cactus, claretcup, and Mojave mound cactus. It is native to the southwest US and Mexico.

[msycats]

#claretcup

[freshtendril]

Claretcup Cactus - Echinocereus triglochidiatus

Such a nice, good, cactus; a reliable bloomer in its small, dry, and sandy-soil filled pot. Huggable even. I love this thing. Too bad it would hurt to do just that. So I leave it alone.

For the record I don’t hug plants. I usually reserve that for the ones I love and don’t have spines and needles.

[robhammerphotography]

British Open Champ Zach Johnson after enjoying a cold beer from the Claret Cup. Now that's a beer stein! #claretcup#britishopen#zachjohnson#golf#champion#transamerica

[pukikuki]

#DontWorry #ClaretCup #Trago #Cocteleria #Guemes #Trópico #Primavera