santa fe: flora 7.13.2017

While in Santa Fe a couple weeks ago, my friends and I enjoyed several hikes, along with delightedly ogling an entirely different landscape and flora than here in the midwest. Madison sits at 741 feet above sea level; Santa Fe is at 7,198 feet. Madison averages 34.5 inches of annual precipitation; Santa Fe gets a tad over 14 inches.

These pics are from our first hike, on the Borrego/Bear Wallow Trail in the Santa Fe National Forest. This was one of the paths that shepherds took long ago as they herded their sheep down the trail to market in Santa Fe. The smell of the forest was MARVELOUS. The sun-warmed pine bark smelled like butterscotch.

Unknown plant sprouting out of the soil.

This is familiar, and I think it’s a Solomon’s Seal.

I found this beautiful blooming Cholla cactus showing off on the grounds of Museum Hill in Santa Fe.

These were taken at Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O’Keefe lived and painted for several years. This was a long, hot hike with few trees offering shade protection. But so gorgeous!

These next photos were taken in the cities of Santa Fe and Taos.

The Century plant! Also known as Agave Americana.

Hollyhocks and Sage – a perfect combination.

Hollyhocks looking perfect in front of an adobe home.

Hollyhocks growing on the grounds of the El Rey hotel, where we stayed.

These two last photos were from our hike in Bandelier National Monument. There were throngs of people waiting for the bus that travels from the visitor center down to the canyon. To avoid the crowd, we chose to hike up above the canyon, on the Burnt Mesa Trail. It was beautiful, with so much blue sky, wildflowers, some ruins, and lots of birds.