SDSU: Spring garden......

Spring scenes from SDSU....May rain has rejuvenated the plants.. adorned in spectacular flowers, they are beautifying the campus..

Chestnut flowers........

Mesquite blooms...

Yellow oleander...

Mandevilla....

Sage...

Cornflower..

Calendula...

Kangaroo paw...

Mahogany California poppy...

One of the many resident feral cat.....

Sausage fruit....

Cockspur coral...

Jacaranda...

Nasturtium.....

Matilija poppy...

 California poppy.........

Manuka flower...

Hardy ice...........

Callery pear.......

Giant honey flower....

Now, something interesting about the last flower...this time of the year, these flowers bloom profusely in the campus. Being a biologist, I always try to find the identity of each plants I come across...While, I recognized most of the plants, this one eluded me so far..

As I posted it today, decided to search its ID yet again, though my past attempts had been futile. Virtually, I know nothing about this plant, so how will I ask Google to help me?

I typed 'red flower'...obviously I got numerous hits without useful clue...

Then I added a keyword, 'serrate leaves', with a faint hope..guess what!!!!! It was there...botanical name, family and everything else I wanted to know. Feeling good and thankful to the website furnishing the information.

They rightfully say, never quit!!! Give yet another try:).

Place: Flowers clicked at Page, Arizona......

While waiting for our Antelope Canyon tour truck, I captured these pretty flowers gracing the premises of the market complex...........

Tulips........

Callery pear...

Wisteria.......

Mahonia......

Place: Lake Powell..........

Lake Powell...one of the most spectacular lake in the entire nation...the setting for many movies, including the movie 'Gravity'..This area belonged to the Navajo Indians, or perhaps partially still belongs to...Ever since it was built by flooding Glen Canyon with the might Colorado river,  it has attracted millions of tourists...

We visited it this spring.. though the continuous drought has reduced water level, bordered by  majestic sandstone walls, the branched, serpentine lake was striking in its beauty...

The visible bathtub ring...........

Glen canyon dam on the lake...........

A pair of mergansers resting under a cliff wall....

Carps near the dock...

It is certainly any water sport enthusiasts dream come true!

Place: Spring break visit to Zion national park.......

Its a great start, when you wake up in the morning and greeted by this majestic view.....the iconic sandstone cliffs of Zion national park............

Springdale, the gateway to the park...endless queues of vehicles to enter the mesmerizing landscape...

And the roads are red...as if to make it blend with the surroundings.......

Here, I enter to my  7th USA national park so far....

The cottonwoods are cloaked in tender spring foliage..

Such a contrast the vibrant green make against the red-purple towering rocks...

While we visited the park, the canyons were splashed with these flowers...

Just recently learned, they are Utah serviceberry...always exciting to get identity of a new plant.

The tunnel and the adjoining mesa......

Place: Bryce Canyon Park, the maze of hoodoos...

The amphitheaters in Bryce canyon national park...
Indeed, "a hell of a place to lose a cow" - Ebenezer Bryce (the pioneer who gave the namesake park its name)...

Crowded with myriad hoodoos..the sedimentary rock pillars carved by million years of  water and wind erosion...

It was a privilege to soak in this magnificent slice of history...

more to create a memory...

Located at 9, 000 feet, the highest elevation of Colorado plateau..the weather was chilly even in April..with heaps of snow on road slides..vistas from different view point varied widely..

High walls of sedimentary rocks........

For time constraint, we couldn't  hike the trails running among the hoodoos..but, it sure would have been great..