Palo Verde Buds & Blooms
I think of April and May as very yellow months in Tucson, because this is when Palo Verde trees, with their branches completely covered with yellow flowers, dominate the landscape. Other yellow flowers accent the landscape, too, including those of Prickly Pear, Cholla, Desert Marigold and Whitethorn Acacia.
Palo Verde Flower Buds
We have two main species of Palo Verdes here in Tucson: Foothills and Blue. In April we see their flower buds forming, with the Blue PVs blooming first and the Foothills PVs blooming about 2 weeks later. I love the flower buds’ ovoid shape and created this art of Foothills Palo Verde flower buds last Spring.
Fun fact: Palo Verde is Spanish for “green stick”—referring to the trees’ green bark, which contains chlorophyll.
Vintage 😉 Paula Art
The ovoid shape of Blue Palo Verde flower buds also inspired me 6 years ago when I created this art.
As I wrote in my recent post about Ocotillos, which included “vintage” art as well, I think it’s interesting to see how artists’ styles and preferences change through the years, so I thought it would be fun to include some of my older art in my posts to show how my art has changed and evolved.
Palo Verde in Bloom
Since I see flowering Palo Verdes in every direction I look right now, I painted a blooming Palo Verde for my most recent Perpetual Journal art.
I'm enjoying Spring while I can, as Summer heat will be here before we know it (especially in Tucson)! Here's a fun Mutts comic about Summer!