Tucson's Flora and Fauna (Flowers)

Most of these I took on my hike, it was great seeing the shades of colour as I hiked.  A few are right outside of my apartment which is kept well by the grounds keepers that the complex managers hire. Because it is always too dry, it is easy to be drawn to colour amidst the dry and brown. It is amazing how some of these flowers survive amidst 100 degree temperatures and still keep their vibrant colours. The cacti are a wole different group of plants, their ability to stay alive is commendable. It seems as thought they bloom more when it gets hotter. Four days ago I went up Mt. Lemmon and along the way I saw many flowering prickly pear cacti, they looked so attractive, infact the bees and other insects that love them were buzzing around, I had to chase them away in order to snap a few close up photos of the lovely flowers.