Saturday, March 3, 2012

Fairy Duster


From my trailside wanderings this week comes this image of a low desert shrub that is called Fairy Duster. The mauve blossoms have an ethereal sense about them and appear to be fragile. Like most desert plants, this one has to be tough and adaptable to live in the hot, dry climate.

The blossom reminds me of dandelion fluff, or of the big puffs of goatsbeard weed that's found in Michigan. The plant is a legume and is also known as False Mesquite. Fairy Duster joins the many wildflowers in bloom this spring in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson.

Copyright 2012
Wanda Hayes Eichler

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