Yuccas in Bloom

The front garden at the Painted Pony Resort is always the first thing guests see upon arriving on the estate for a visit and a lot of work goes into making it an inviting area for guests to explore.  There are several large Spanish Dagger plants (Yucca schidigera) in the garden and these are generally the first of the yuccas to bloom.  This year one of them has produced a number of flowering stems which were photographed over a 24 hour period as they began to bloom.  The large thick red flowering stems grew quickly and began to open producing light yellow/creamy white flowers.  Yuccas are pollinated by moths (Tegeticula sp.), with different species specializing in different yucca and with the large blooms it should be a feeding/pollinating frenzy for the moths this year.

Yucca stem starting to open

Yucca stem soon to produce an explosion of flowers

Yucca in bloom (the best image)

Two more flowering stems

Flowers at the top of the 8' yucca

An Image From a Guest

The recent 2015 All-Star Telescope star party at the Painted Pony Resort always brings a host of talented astrophotographers out to image the sky, but the landscape also draws attention.  Recent experiments with black and white photography motivated some others to experiment in capturing the Chiricahua mountains in black and white.  The image below is a view of the Chiricahua mountains in black and white taken by the talented Canadian astrophotograher, John McDonald.  While I get images when and where I can, this is an example of what someone who knows what they are doing and captures the Chiricahuas in a completely different light.  The small puffy white clouds contrast nicely with angular mesquite in the foreground with the 8000' Portal Peak and eastern flank of the Chiricahua mountains in between.  Truly a spectacular image and thanks to John for allowing the reuse of his image.

Other images by John McDonald may be found on his RSAC Victoria Centre Zenfolio astrophotography page

Portal Peak and the Chiricahua mountains in black and white.  Image and copyright by John McDonald.

Moving Clocks

The shift to/from daylight savings time change effects the valley twice a year and it is always a time of confusion when trying to make an event on the other side of the state line.  The New Mexico side of the valley changes time but the Arizona side always stays the same and events across the state line always leads to an arrival either an hour early or an hour late, especially for me.  Though the change to/from daylight savings time has no affect on the views on either side of the state line as evidenced by these 2 views, one east and one west taken at sunrise from the Painted Pony Resort.  The sun still rises over the Peloncillo mountains and the first rays of sunlight illuminate Portal Peak in the Chiricahua mountains.  With views like this it is all right to be late to an event.

Sunrise over the Peloncillo mountains on the New Mexican side of the valley

Sunrise on Portal Peak on the Arizona side of the valley with the setting moon