Postcard from the Southwest

Here is another recently completed painting of desert Spring flowers here in the Sonoran Desert. If you are not familiar with how the Sonoran differs from other desert types, let me explain.

While most deserts are somewhat barren and covered in sand, this desert is alive with plant life. Here is where you find the famous Saguaro Cactus, those beautiful very tall cactus with arms that form in unusual shapes. They live to a ripe old age numbering in hundreds of years. The arms don’t even form until they are at least 100 years old.

But there are many other types of cactus and desert flora that thrive here. I live in the western foothills above Tucson. Our hills are green all year around with trees and flowers (and cactus). Here it is in November and some of our plants and bushes have flowers on them. 

The key to the Sonoran Desert's climate is the amount of rainfall. More rain falls on the Sonoran Desert than any other desert. When it does get rain, the desert is damp, and the air is cool. The plants and trees here thrive. 

The seasons are similar to where you live, with some differences. Spring is a time when flowers bloom if the winter and fall had enough rain. In summer and we have lots of rain, courtesy of the monsoons that form in the Gulf of Mexico. With the arrival of autumn comes cooler breezes, which lets the deserts summer heat wear away. Winter brings snow to the mountains and colder air to the desert valley.

The Sonoran Desert is mostly in Southern Arizona and Mexico, with some parts of it reaching into southeastern California. But the best part of it is in and around Tucson, especially the western section. Saguaro National Park is here and is a great place to see what the Sonoran Desert is all about.

So, kiddies, that is your lesson today about the Sonoran Desert. I hope you will come down here sometime and see it for yourself. It is worth it (except in summer).

Have a Happy Thanksgiving. I will be back next week with more photos and stories from around the world. 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com