Paloverde Zenith

If the towering armed saguaro is the iconic cactus of the Sonoran Desert, the paloverde (translation: green stick) is its signature tree. This native tree with its acid green bark grows with rampant abundance across the foothills and valleys in and around Tucson.

Paloverdes begin blooming in April and by early May the trees are so laden with small soft yellow blossoms that they look flocked. Bees drone through the branches by the thousands, their avid pollen collection creating a dull roar. Driving a two lane road is like piloting a plane through a corridor of mounding sulfurous clouds. Across the valley the mountains' feet are smothered with flaxen foam.

They've peaked now, raining spent petals, cloaking the ground and the plants sheltering beneath them with a pale golden mantle, their musky scent attracting herds of javelina who will kneel in blissful oblivion to graze this floral feast. The last gasp of a desert spring, paloverdes herald the advent of triple digit days with a yellow haze.