Small groupings of cactus are all around and I have marked them with stones so I don't carelessly brush against it. This summer they will have yellow blooms. Meanwhile, I enjoy what's here, including the scarlet gilia & groundsel below:
Bart never lets me out of his sight. Yesterday, while I filled up a wheelbarrow with dead limbs from an oak, he hunkered down in the shade beneath some rabbitbrush. Here is a close-up of the James beardtongue:
Every year the appearance and abundance of the wildflowers varies. This year the beardtongue are all over the place. There is yellow salsify beginning to show itself. We'll see sand-loving lupine, fleabane daisy, sweet clover, pepperweed, and primrose. Perhaps the most abundant, year after year, is the orange globe mallow, which flowers all summer and into the fall. Here's a photo of it:
Bart doesn't appear to appreciate the wonder of the wildflowers. He's more into finding a nice, sandy patch to roll around in. Then I have to try and remember to brush him off before we head back inside.