Studio39Designs

 

Plant Life on the Malpais

As I said in a previous blog posting, part of the definition of the word “malpais” is “barren”.  I found this malpais to be far from barren – take a look!

Prickly Pear in the Morning

I love the morning lighting on this prickly pear in the lava field.  I also love the textures of this image – there’s the sort of fuzzy texture of the greenery off to the left in the image.  The prickliness of the cacti and the sharp edges of the lava. 

Soap Tree Yucca

This plant is the state flower of New Mexico.  What I found incredibly interesting about it is that it’s NOT a cactus (even tho the ends of its leaves are very sharp).  It’s a member of the lily family!  The leaves were used by Native Americans to make brooms, and were woven into baskets and mats. 

Walking Stick Cholla

The name of this plant is one of the most ironic that I know of.  Why?  Well, one generally grabs and holds a walking stick, at least I do!  The barbs are incredibly sharp and all over the plant!  Plus, the odd thing about this plant, and I freely admit, it’s based on my own observation, is that when you get too close to the plant, the barbs almost seem to jump off the plant onto you!  I know, that sounds odd, but Jeff agrees with me!  So, how can one be a walking stick when no one can get close to you?

Fall Shrub Bloom

I don’t know what this shrub was, but they were all over the malpais, and these lovely little light gold little petals were all over the branches.  They sort of reminded me of small golden coins!

Hard to Pick Berries

These berries looked nice and bright and sort of appealing until you notice the very long, very sharp looking barbs!  Ouch, ouch, ouch!!

Juniper Tree

I love the complex twists and turns of juniper trees.  I thought this image showed off the beauty of the tree nicely.  Amazingly, this tree is estimated to be about 400 years old!  Amazing.

Blooms Against the Lava

I saw these small little flowers that look like a cross between sunflowers and daisies.  I can’t recall what these flowers are, but they are neither sunflowers nor daisies.  Still, I thought they and the dried grass next to them looked very pretty up against the lava rocks.  I converted this to a painting type photo.

Dead Juniper

This juniper tree is dead.  But, it still serves a useful purpose here on the malpais. It is a perch for birds, a shelter for some smaller animals.  Plus, as it breaks down, it provides nutrients for new plants and some nice nesting material.  Talk about recycling!

Purple in the Prickly Pear

I thought I’d end with this portrait of opposites.  I love these tiny little purple beauties, especially how they contrast with the sharp barbs of the prickly pear cactus.

 

Enjoy!