I’m participating in the Tuesday Photo Challenge this week. When I saw the prompt yesterday, I knew that several of the plants I’ve been seeing on my morning dog walks would be perfect.

For me, spring is all about buds and blossoms.

Did you know that pomegranates bloom? My neighbors have had this tree for years, but I never noticed the blossoms before. (You have to have flowers before you make fruit. Duh.)

Aloes have the ugliest blossoms ever. But hummingbirds think they’re delightful.

Have you ever seen desert dandelions? They spring up whenever we have a few drops of rain.

They don’t stay pretty long, though; within days they’re seedy and three feet tall, like these in my back yard.

And they’re very tenacious. They have evolved to fight back if anyone tries to weed them out. Check out the thorny leaves. Ouch!