Poppies

During my last day in Tucson, I stayed with a friend who lives within the city itself, in an older neighborhood not too far away from the university.  It is the kind of neighborhood I'd want to live in if I were in Tucson - the homes are spacious, well-built, with large front porches and rear courtyards.  Lots of trees line the wide, quiet streets and the public easement/sidewalks are a botanical showcase of flowering annuals, enduring cacti and other desert-hardy plants.

While waiting for my friend to finish up some work-related obligations, I decided to do a neighborhood walk-about with my camera.  Everything seemed to be in bloom, so I got dozens of photos.  One of the corner houses in particular sports a garden that apparently has been there for years, and appears to run on autopilot now.  It is filled with a glorious selection of native annuals, bulbs and non-native perennials.

It is also unique in that it was filled with poppies - dozens of them, some in fun colors I've not seen elsewhere.  We have a variety of poppy growing in our backyard here in CT that produces brilliant red flowers and is notoriously difficult to photograph well.  That seems to be the way it is - poppies droop and their petals flop.  Nonetheless, I managed to get some photos that I think capture their beauty.

Here are some taken from that garden.

Red Poppy Quartet

The afternoon sun accents the brilliant red petals and textural detail of the poppy stems.

Desert Garden Medley 

Poppies, purple iris and annuals coexist together, while a brilliant bougainvillea and prickly pear cactus bring up the rear.

Pink with Shadows

Afternoon light forms a range of pinks on the ruffled petals of this poppy.

Red and White

White edging and dark filaments add more drama to this poppy, while an unopened bud and seedpod peek out from below.

Upward Glance

This bi-color poppy takes on the appearance of a colorful recliner with its petal arrangement.