Blooming Desert Globemallow – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
If you have followed me, my photography and my blog for any length of time you’ll know I can’t resist taking photos of wildflowers even though my true passion lies with bird photography and two days ago I simply had to take photos of the orange wildflowers that I saw blooming on the way to the Spiral Jetty in northern Utah.
The wildflowers I photographed are Desert Globemallows (Sphaeralcea ambigua) and they were blooming abundantly on the road to the jetty. I don’t think I have seen so many of them in full bloom before. I’ve seen them before here in Utah many times and in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park.
Desert Globemallow wildflower – Nikon D500, f10, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Desert Globemallows are also called Apricot globe-mallow, Desert mallow, and Apricot mallow. They are native perennial herbs that can be found in Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah and as far south as southern Mexico. These mallows are extremely drought tolerant plants that are beneficial to honey bees as well as our native bees because they provide a steady source of pollen and nectar throughout their blooming season which can be from February through November depending on geographic location. Desert Globemallow thrives in dry, sandy or rocky soils in arid deserts and the plants actually require dry conditions in cultivated gardens to look their best. (The plants are commercially available)
Desert Globemallow plants are from one to three feet tall.
Desert Globemallows in full bloom – Nikon D500, f10, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I have to be honest, I don’t usually care for the color orange at all but I make exceptions when the orange I am seeing is from orange wildflowers (or birds). I loved seeing these globemallows in bloom the other day because they contrasted so wonderfully from the already drying grasses that surrounded them. It was fun to point my lens at them as well as the birds I found plus my mother enjoyed seeing and photographing them too.
Life is good.
Mia
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Gorgeous images, and now I know what to call them in future.
Beautiful, beautiful things.
Colours in nature are a whole new kettle of fish. She can put colours together successfully which scream at each other when a mere mortal combines them.
Beautiful blooms! I love the bright color against the more muted background.
What a sight to see to brighten the desert! Great that both you and your Mother could share photography.
I feel the same way about orange….and pink. Not too fond of them anywhere but on flowers…love them there. These are gorgeous!!!
Lovely! You really captured the color.
Beautiful photos, Mia.
Beautiful, between the birds and the flowers and the fact the the Jetty is one of my favorite places i need to make the trip over this coming 4 day weekend.
Called Mal de Ojo in Mexico. Bad eye. Don’t pick or touch and then rub eyes. It’ll hurt.
Wow, that’s what I need in my garden since it is drought tolerant considering I am not the most attentive gardener in the world. I’d rather be out with my camera.