AM Eve, Part Two--Stereotypical Arizona

Cactus and palm trees.  One little-known fact about AZ is that the saguaro cactus is so protected in the state that it's illegal to cut one down, even in your own yard.  If it's falling down and ready to drop, you either have to prop it up (like the one below with the woodpecker's nest) or pay to have it professionally removed and replanted.  Top right is a saguaro blooming.  AZ's state flower is the saguaro, and depending on how wet the winter is, you get more or less blooms.  It was a wet one this year.

This has to be my favorite picture on today's post. Prickly pear, covered in blooms. Gorgeous!

One of our neighborhood streets. In the center picture, the purple tree on the right is a jacaranda, and the white bushes are oleander.  See the propped cactus on the left?  And yes, the rumors are true.  Many yards in Arizona are just rocks.  Some people plant grass, but we are mocked by the natives.
I remember when I first moved here how weird it was to see oranges on trees.  And bouganvillea, the pink bush on the left, is one of the easiest to grow here.  Ask how many are in my yard--0.  They are "too easy, too predictable, and too messy." But aren't they beautiful?
Fewer words tomorrow.  But I thought some of you might appreciate a little AZ botany lesson.