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About the Star (part one): The decline of newspaper flower power

We took a drive Tuesday to Mount Lemmon. It was a beautiful day. The saguaro blossoms were extraordinary.

 The Arizona Daily Star earlier this year or late last year sadly put a halt to its wild flower coverage. In times like these with wildflowers powered by rains — perhaps as never before — the desert is lush, awash with brilliant golden palo verde blossoms everywhere.

   This unique phenomena would have been lavishly celebrated in words and pictures by Doug Kreutz, for many years the Star’s outdoor writer and foremost proponent of flower power. But Doug retired. Much too early as it turns out. This, alas, was not a year for Doug to miss. This year was propelled to lush foliage by fall and winter rains that fed every willing seed in this vast Sonoran desert.

The saguaro blossoms are uniquely lush this year. The best way to enjoy them is to drive up and down Mount Lemmon. The saguaros are legion at the bottom and towards the middle of the trip. The white blossoms with gold hearts are closer to the road. 

  I apologize for not having more to say about these lovely crowned giants. Doug has forgotten more about saguaros than I will ever know. But I don’t think he would appreciate them any more than I. He would agree the onslaught of those flowers is really big news.