A Buckeye, Junonia Coenia butterfly enjoying his orange for lunch.

A colorful Buckeye, Junonia Coenia enjoying some sun.

The very first prickly pear flower at Desert Botanical Garden, 2012. Many more should follow shortly.

This colorful little hummingbird seemed to be having fun drinking flower nectar and buzzing me.

Patterns

I don't know the name of this delightful little flower. It is only about 1 1/4" in diameter.

These incredibly brilliant flowers demanded my attention as I walked by.

I could not get over the beauty and range of colors of the prickly pear cactus this year.

The columbine is the state flower of Colorado, but it looks right at home in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

Another bee really putting himself into his work. Instead of being dainty when they fly in, it is more of dive right into the middle of the blossom followed by wiggling. His legs looked like he already had a full load of pollen.

This is a male, desert spiny lizard. They are much larger than the usual lizard, and this guy was clearly enjoying all the attention. Several photographers were busily clicking away, and this guy just walked back and forth, stopping regularly to pose. He was feeling good and strutting his stuff.

A female monarch butterfly enjoying the sunshine and a flower. Her wings reminded me of a Tiffany glass light.

Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden at sunset, Dec 2012. I would love this for a backyard.

A pleasant nook to rest and enjoy the sights at Luminarias, Dec 2012.