Desert in Bloom, Part III

[Click on the images for larger versions of the photos.]

The next phase of this year's spectacular cactus bloom has begun. The cholla cacti on the hill behind our house are full of flowers and look like strangely beautiful spiky trees:

The cholla flowers themselves come in a variety of colors--pink, yellow, red, orange, and my favorite, which is a color I can't quite name:

The saguaro in front of our house is full of buds and has also begun to bloom. There are more buds on it than I've ever seen before:

In June and July when saguaro fruit ripens, it is harvested by the Tohono O’odham people and used to make a rare and delicious fruit syrup.