For one reason or another, I seem to be pushing the boundaries again ....

• One of the Landscape Photography's rules is "Don't take pictures outdoors when the light is harsh" ... normally between 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM (or thereabouts). 
• And then there is the "Stay out of the ridiculously hot sun" personal rule.

But there I was in a relatively new-to-me city (Phoenix, Az) with nothing to do for two hours.  It was 11:30 in the morning and 106°F (42°C) outside.  

I could spend the time at Starbucks drinking coffee and staying out of the sun, or go photograph ... what should I do?  Of course, you know the answer ... I went to the Desert Museum to photograph thinking that not much would come of the effort.

I think I was wrong, but you decide!

Of course there was cactus everywhere.  I expected that.  But I didn't expect the variety:

First, this black and white image of a stand of vertical cactus that had an interesting shape:

Then there was this clump of cactus that I call "Hands Up" cactus (though it could easily be called the Mickey-Mouse Cactus):

Surprisingly there were still quite a few flowers in bloom:

More cactus ... this group was no taller than 24 inches and seemed to prefer growing along the earth:

And,

An orange umbrella, next to some blooming flowers, cast an unusual glow on them.  Of course I do not know the name of the plant/flower so I called it the "The Bird" because of the flower on the right side of the image.  All-in-all, the colors in this image are soft and very soothing to me:

Worry not!  This is the last cactus image I'll show ... but there were many more types in the garden ... I was interested in the "hair" wrapped around the outside of this type cactus. I'm sure it has a purpose?

Just before I gave  it up for a cool drink and the air conditioning of the Garden's restaurant I came across a plant with red flowers. It yielded my favorite images of the shoot.  Here's the first of three images taken further back ... yes there is some kind of insect on the flower:

A simple vertical shot of one petal:

And my favorite ... shouldn't it be a Christmas flower?

Boy was I wiped out by the heat after just an hour wandering through the gardens.  It is an interesting place with an astounding variety of desert plants.  I hope to visit it again in more pleasant weather and light.

My apologies for my complete lack of knowledge about plant life.  

As always, thanks for taking the time to look!

Adam