California Desert In Bloom - "Bigelow’s Monkeyflower" (#3 In A Series)

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul." - Luther Burbank

What would it take to live in the desert?

The Anza Borrego Desert is a dry, hot, and hostile place. Much rain this year, however, has caused it to blossom.

The photos in this series were taken with my Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.

Bigelow’s Monkeyflower
Original Work by @creatr

I believe these are "Bigelow’s Monkeyflower."

I've identified the flower with help from here. Wikipedia concurs and has provided the proper botanical name: Diplacus bigelovii, an annual herb that grows in desert and slope habitats.

Here's one lonely blossom, hiding behind a rock.

These lovely purple flowers intrigued me because they seemed to courageously thrust right up out of the middle of rocky ground.

Bigelow’s Monkeyflower
Original Work by @creatr

I've cropped another image below.

If you "right click," "open in new window" and then "zoom in," you can see the delicate hairs on the leaves at the top of the stem.

Bigelow’s Monkeyflower
Original Work by @creatr

If you want a really close look at the blossoms,

click the link below. That will take you to http://unsplash.com where you can then click the "Download" button and get the full-resolution image. Everything on Unsplash is licensed CC0, meaning that you may use and reuse it in any way you choose without restriction.

https://unsplash.com/photos/PlB_eHGkUKI

I hope to post some more desert wildflower photos as I am able to identify them.

You can check out other posts in this series here:

Desert Dandelions
Brittle Bush
Bigelow’s Monkeyflower
The Ocotillo
Purple Tansy

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~FIN~

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Thanks for your time and attention.
You are why I'm here on Steemit!
I have very eclectic interests and hope, over time, to write about them all.

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