01/22/12

Nanocactus scopa

This fun little cactus appears to be covered in little cat whiskers.  The first thing that grabbed my attention, about it was its pure white color.  I've nicknamed it 'Snow Kitty.'

01/21/12

New Year's in Austin and the Hill Country of Texas

I spent New Year's Eve in Austin.  The fireworks downtown were amazing!  Even more exciting was a quaint little hidden lake in the Hill Country.  I love seeing what nature does without the hand of man.  Just as their is a different and more profound beauty in an aged person than in a youthful one,  the same holds true with the plants growing and dying on our soil.  The gnarled roots and broken bark of the trees help record their history.  You can almost visualize the rains, snowstorms, and violent winds that brought them to this place.  Even after death, their decay becomes more and more beautiful.  It would probably do all of us good to remember that aging is far from ugly.  Nature, if our eyes are open, gives us endless lessons to be learned.

01/18/12

Echinocereus pectinatus rubispinus

This Echinocereus is new to my collection of cacti and succulents.  Pretty spectacular!  It will produce a beautiful hot pink flower but it really doesn't need to, for me to be blown away by its beauty. This baby begs to be looked at up close and so far the little spider like spines haven't bitten.