Yucca Flower

[abraxas]

Yucca schidigera

 

[Tantalus]

Interesting, very cool looking plant.

 

[abraxas]

It's about the only thing blooming in the desert this year.

 

[LaFoto]

Opening an abraxas-thread is always a thrill ... not because of the photo (sorry, Walter) ... but because of the question: what is his avatar going to look like NOW

Isn't the flower of a yucca actually its death sentence?
And will it grow a large stem?

Why the red hue?
Just so?

 

[abraxas]

Opening an abraxas-thread is always a thrill ... not because of the photo (sorry, Walter) ... but because of the question: what is his avatar going to look like NOW

Isn't the flower of a yucca actually its death sentence?
And will it grow a large stem?

Why the red hue?
Just so?

I don't mind, the avatars are the only thing interesting I've been able to find lately. I got some real good ones coming up. What is disturbing, is that they all resemble me slightly in one way or another.

All the Mojave yuccas (Brevifolia, Schidigera, Whipplei and the look-a-like Nolina) continue to live, although the whipplei and nolina grow tall blossom stalks and they die and fall over. Hm, maybe the whipplei die completely; I'll check for sure. Getting ready for a four day seminar in the desert and there most likely be a botanist I can ask.

I didn't mess with the color at all. This shot was handheld (which I try not to do) during a private natural science tour of Joshua Tree National Park I gave a couple girls I met from another zip code. Anyway, there seems to be a red cast out there late in the day (it was slightly overcast also) most of the time.

I hope I can get back into taking some nice shots. After this seminar, one the next week and counting last weeks trip, I'll have spent 13 days this month wandering the desert- learning stuff. I suppose I'd know if the whipplei died completely by now, but the highlight of the last trip was learning how to identify bobcat scat from coyote scat (dried) by crushing it and looking at it with little magnifiers. How cool is that?

 

[JTHphoto]

nice shot walter, we are getting some cacti blooms, the hedgehogs are the most colorful, but i love these yucca blooms you've captured. All of your seminars sound like fun too... :thumbup:

corinna, i think it's only select species, [thread=54776] like this =)[/thread], in which the bloom is a death sentence... although my series is of an agave, not a yucca... walter being the desert expert could probably tell us the difference between a yucca and an agave too... eh?

 

[gmarquez]

Love the colors! (watch out for yourself out there, parents in Joshua Tree said that the sandstorms were working up something fierce about a week or two ago).

Yeah, I didn't see any wildflowers when I was last up that way...lack of rain?

walter being the desert expert could probably tell us the difference between a yucca and an agave too... eh?

The best agave comes in a bottle after being fermented...:lmao:

 

[LaFoto]

Jason, that was the very flower I was thinking of when I asked the question about the possible death-sentence !

And the colour is quite interesting, makes me wonder why everything is so red there.

Those are some really interesting seminars you're going to, with a chance to sort through bobcat and coyote ... erm :er: ... "scat" you call it?

 

[abraxas]

Thanks everyone- and especially JTHPhoto for the bail-out!

Lack of precipitation has everything in drought mode. Some brittlebush, desert senna, Joshua trees and yucca are doing -fair- as far as blossoms. Been giving me an opportunity to work some on my wildflower guide from shots the last few years though. I tend to go out and shoot instead of doing my id's.

BTW, those are excellent shots JTHPhoto. Thanks for bringing them up.

IMO, this blossom was probably the prettiest yucca I've ever seen.

 

[abraxas]

...

Those are some really interesting seminars you're going to, with a chance to sort through bobcat and coyote ... erm :er: ... "scat" you call it?

Ok, one last comment before I leave;

I find out some real technical stuff at these seminars/symposiums, etc. I'm like the total layman and am always amazed. I take advantage and ask stupid questions and listen to everything I can.

So here's something I've learned recently at a bird watching class;

Q. Do you know what that white stuff is around bird poop?

A. More bird poop.

I hope I don't get moderated- I tell this to my grandkids too, but they, for some reason, are used to this type of behavior from me.