Photo: Storm-Blown Bougainvillea Flower Petal

This is an odd shot in the aftermath of last Saturday's severe wind and rain storm.  The storm did a lot of damage, tearing off tree limbs and uprooting trees in Phoenix/Scottsdale.

The storm also blew a cluster of bougainvillea flower petals up onto a glass window where the horizontal driving rain plastered the flowers onto the glass.  This is just an iPhone photo of this unusual, delicate remnant of the storm.

That is Mummy Mountain in Paradise Valley in the background.

This we have posted photos of some of the mountain temples of Bhutan on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Detail of Cactus bud

This is a close view of one of the cactus buds that I showed yesterday.

This week we are showing photos from our cruise along the east coast of Baja California, with some samples of the marine life in the Sea of Cortez on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Detail of Fairy Duster Flower

This is a close-up of one of the fairy duster flowers that I showed yesterday.

Today is Sunday, so we have new posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from our cruise along the east coast of Baja California, with some samples of the marine life in the Sea of Cortez.

Photo: Fairy Duster

I planted this fairy duster in our backyard because it is one of the plants that attracts hummingbirds.  We enjoy watching them hovering and darting from flower to flower.

This week we are showing some more photos from my recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Agave blossom

Agave stalks can have flowers that look like exploding fireworks.

This week we are showing some more photos from my recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Hedgehog Cactus Flower

Here is a photo of a vibrant hedgehog cactus bloom.

The interior is so delicate and detailed.

This week we have photos from Papua New Guinea posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Happy Pink Day!

Here is a colorful pink flower photo.

Happy Saturday!

This week we have photos from our cruise in Mexico's Sea of Cortez posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Prickly Pear Cactus Blossom

Continuing with the series of photos of cactus flowers in our yard, here is a prickly pear cactus in bloom, with one flower and several buds.  It is possible to make jelly and other food products from prickly pear cacti.

This type of prickly pear cactus does not have thorns.  Instead it has little clusters of tiny fibers.  They are worse than thorns because they get into your skin and you can's see them.  We keep our distance when watering or photographing them.

This week we are showing photos of the Galapagos Islands on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Fairy Duster Blossom

This is a fairy duster blossom from our yard.  We have planted fairy duster plants because they attract hummingbirds and butterflies and add color throughout the year.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos form the Galapagos islands,

Photo: Moroccan Spurge Plant Blossoms

The Moroccan spurge plant that I showed yesterday has very small flowers.  The tips of the plant are about the size of a quarter in size, and the flower buds that dot the cactus tips are smaller than the diameter of a typical drinking straw 

This week we are showing photos of Dublin, Ireland, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Lion's Tail Flower

This is another macro photo of the same plant that I showed yesterday.   In this photo you can see both a bud like yesterday as well as the lion's tail flower that explodes from the bud.

I think an explosion of orange is an apt description for the appearance of  this flower, as it appears similar to a giant fireworks explosion.

The name of this plant, lion's tail, also finds its origins in the puffy ends of a lion's tail.

This week we are showing photos of Dublin, Ireland, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Macro of an Orange Flower Bud

I have not named this flower from our front years, as I will see if readers will know what it is.  Tomorrow I will show the full flower in bloom, along with a bud to illustrate the next stage of the development of its blooms.

This week we are showing photos of Dublin, Ireland, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Tiny yellow cactus blossoms

I showed a somewhat wider view of these delicate, tiny cactus buds a week or so ago, so I thought I would move in closer for even more detail. Each of the buds on this cactus are smaller than a straw.

This week we are showing photos of Dublin, Ireland, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Hummingbird feeding on a flower

This is a photo of a hummingbird who was darting around some of the flowers in our front yard a little over one week ago.  We have selected plants that the Desert Botanical Garden has identified as attractive for hummingbirds and butterflies.

Photographing hummingbirds in flight is difficult.  They dart around quickly, are small, and do not stay in any place very long.

This week we are showing photos of Vienna, Austria, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: tiny yellow cactus flower

This is the season for cactus blooms.  These are tiny.  The top of the cactus branch is he diameter of a quarter, and these blossoms are about the size of a coffee stirring stick, smaller  than a typical straw.

This week we have photos of Vienna, Austria, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Bishop's cap cactus bud

The bishop's cap cactus in a pot near our front door is about to bloom. Like many cacti, its flower seems disproportionately large in comparison to the size of the plant.

This week we have photos of the architecture of Portugal posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Lion's Tail Flower

The lion's tail plants in our front yard are blooming.  The stalks have multiple blossoms that look like the end of a lion's tail, or perhaps like exploding fireworks.

This week we have photos of the architecture of Portugal posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Cactus buds

Now is the season that many cacti are blooming, or are at least sending out buds that will bloom soon.  This photo is one of the cacti that we have in potion our patio.   It is ready to bloom with flowers that seem disproportionate large in comparison to the size of the cactus.

This week we have photos of the architecture of Portugal posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Prickly Pear Cactus Flower

The visit to the Paradise Valley Town Hall to take photos of some of the sculptures could not be complete without being distracted by some of the cactus.

This is an iPhone photo of the inside of a prickly pear cactus flower.  Yes, there is a bee burrowed inside.  I am surprise that an iPhone has such a short focal length to capture a picture I would ordinarily want to use a macro lens to take.

This week we have photos of the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Happy Valentine's Day!

Enjoy this macro photo of a plant in my yard.

The flowers look like tiny roses.

Don't forget to bring flowers to the one you love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This week we have photos of the Sepik River tribes and villages posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.