Above: Wildflowers burst forth as the high desert warms in springtime. In this contemporary photograph, Dakota vervain (Glandular bipinnatifida) blooms along the western face of the Sandía Mountains, overlooking Albuquerque.
May 1969
At last, winter conceded defeat and retreated to the high mountain peaks. One of the loveliest seasons of the year has come to northern New Mexico. Cottonwood buds shed their tight, sticky coverings and roll out tender young leaves. Everywhere wildflowers are bursting into bloom. Open hillsides are covered with dwarf white candytuft, yellow parsley, purplish biscuitroot, and pink short-style onion. Here, winter-famished deer and elk browse in late evenings and early mornings. Horned toads and lightning-swift lizards sun themselves on warm rocks. May is a jewel of a month!