The Arizona Cactus Garden at Stanford is truly a gem to visit- especially in the month of May. I went May 1, and there were several cacti blooming - it was noon- so the light shining through these blooms lit them up like lanterns! The hummingbirds were a little skittish since it was a crowded day, but I got a few snaps in the Palo Verde tree and again when they take the threads from the barrel cacti to make their nests.
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Took a little break on photography, but it’s always fun to do the annual visit to the SF Botanical Garden to see the Pink Magnolias in late January/February. I’ve been going almost every year for about ~20 years now to take photos of these amazing flowers. They are various types of Magnolia, but many are the Magnolia Campbelli variety. For me, I’ve always loved how the sunlight against the blossoms lights them like lanterns, the bright blue skies, and the branches that almost make it look like a woodblock painting. This visit, I played with this lighting, and also some framing of these blooms in amongst the branches. Let me know what you think!
Pink Magnolia, SF Botanical Garden- Mike Stocker photography 01/29/2022
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red tail hawk at Stanford Arizona Cactus Garden
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Spent a few hours in the Arizona Cactus Garden at Stanford today, and the hummingbirds were enjoying the desert museum palo verde tree- it’s got a green trunk and hundreds of delicate yellow blossoms that look a bit like orchids and the scent was somewhat like jasmine.
