Chuparosa...

Chuparosa (Beloperone californica) is a very odd plant. It's a member of the tropical Acanthus family (Acanthaceae), the only one that grows naturally this far north. Most individual plants have no leaves at all, and when they do have leaves (as in the plant photographed at right), they're little teeny things that you have to look closely to find. The common name means “sucking rose” in Spanish, a reference to the abundant nectar produced by the blossoms. Hummingbirds love this thing.

Over the years, on previous visits to the desert, I've probably snapped twenty photos of chuparosa. Not one of them turned out any better than you'd expect from a drunken sailor distracted by naked dancing girls. And no, I wasn't drunk and there were no naked dancing girls (darn it!). Yesterday I took eight chuparosa photos, and this was the only one that looked good (click on it to see a larger version). I'm happy to finally get one that I'm happy with!