Blossoming trees in the Matzatzal Mountains....and more

During past summers we have hiked to the base of the mountain peaks and picnicked in meadows covered with wild flowers.

We’ve hiked in the desert when spring flowers blanketed the ground.

In the grasslands in the fall, we’ve walked in fields of gold....as Dan had promised me that we would walk in fields of gold.

But never before have we seen wild trees in full bloom high in the desert mountains.  On our anniversary trip last week we were treated to this rare spectacle.  The hillsides and ravines were dotted with the most amazing flowering trees.

I have included an image of the blossom we saw on these trees in the picture after each photo of the tree.

Here are a few other interesting flowers we saw in the Matzatzal Mountains:

This next flower is my favorite because it reminds me of a tiny flower that intrigued me when I was a little girl living in the Pacific Northwest. Each of these plants in Arizona is only about 2-3 inches tall and they grew in clusters covering the side of the trail and hillsides in the mountains where we were hiking.

When I was a few years old I would lie on my stomach in the grassy areas of the countryside south of Seattle to study a very little delicate flower.  These flowers (similar to those in the picture above)  grew together in groups, like a little flower forest.  

I remember thinking how precious this tiny flower was, just the right size for a fairy to live beneath.  I would imagine that I was very, very small, and I was walking in this flower forest.  I would spend hours playing in my beautiful flower forest with the fairies.

Here is what this fairy flower looks like up close, when you are a little girl lying on your belly.

My love of flowers began at a very young age.  Now I am an old lady, almost seventy-one years old, and I am still mesmerized by the beauty of flowers.

Dan is very patient as I photograph and study each flower that catches my eye.  He encourages me to take the time to enjoy every single magical blossom.  I am thankful that he likes to see me so happy when I am surrounded by flowers.