The word “desert” conjures up an image of dry, brown hills and mesas, possibly dotted with small green pinion trees as pictured in a Georgia O’Keefe painting. What people who are unfamiliar with our high desert may not know is that New Mexico’s spring is full of surprises and unexpected intense color. Sometimes you have to get out of your house or car and look for it, but it’s there.
One of the first and most colorful things to bloom near my house is the hedgehog cactus, also known as the claret cup cactus. Now a cactus is one of the most inhospitable-looking plants I can think of. And looks are not deceiving in this case, as I have spent a lot of time pulling cactus spines out of my dog and sometimes my ankles. In April, however, small burgundy buds appear amid the spines and not long after, there are scarlet blooms that are as soft and inviting as the spines are sharp and downright scary.
The wonderful thing about being a photographer is that I find myself on my knees observing things at close range instead of throwing a quick glance out the car window while driving by.
--Janet Worne
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