Thorns And Roses

It’s a cool 50ºF prairie morning. Low cloud cover fights sunlight for dominion over the land. Brisk northerly winds stir the milky broth to mask azure skies. Delicate flower clusters still cling to towering yucca spires, while flamboyant prickly pear cactus blossoms near the end of their glorious journey. Moisture from recent rains continues to encourage a New Mexico Spiny Star to erupt from the red bosom of Mother Earth.

Plains Yucca sport an unusual red blush akin to painted dance hall ladies of Western lore. The newcomers capture top billing. At curtain call lively sounds of a lark mouth harp fills the air, while a chorus line of crows on center stage initiates a joyous hoopla. Yippie ki-yay--the audience erupts in shouts of adoration. I get caught up in the moment and reach for one of the dancers. Agony and ecstasy are my reward. Anne Brontë comes to mind, “...he that dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose.”

© Ilija Lukić 2012

Spiny Upheaval (escobaria vivipara var neomexicana)

New Mexico Spiny Star

Painted Lady (yucca campestris)

Blushing Entourage (Plains Yucca)

Heartfelt Surrender

Morning Glow (yucca campestris)

First Cholla Roses (cylindropuntia imbricata)

The Chorus Line (Cane Cholla)

Leading Lady (cylindropuntia imbricata)

Promenade (Cane Cholla)

Center Stage Hoopla (Cane Cholla)

Sharp Thorns - Delicate Roses

Show Stopper (Chain Link Cholla)

Finale Extravaganza (Cane Cholla)