Even if monsoon season was a bust, you can count on barrel cactuses to bloom in sheer reds and pale yellows (and in this case, golds) at the end of an Arizona summer. Barrel cactuses sit like little Buddhas in the southwest landscape, often overlooked and overshadowed by the larger, more prestigious, columnar saguaro; unless they are in bloom. On this day, I was in the right place at the right time. I saw the gold glow in the distance and spun the Jeep around, because that’s what you do when you love wild plants and places.

And I love flowers. Don’t you?