Photo-finish Friday: Spring in the desert

It's February and the first sign of spring around my house in the desert is this cassia bush that has grown from a little shrub to this big guy. It fared not well, losing branches in the gales of winter until a couple years ago when I went at it with pruning shears. Now it does this graceful dance in the breeze - and keeps growing.

The blossoms produce a richly sweet fragrance, and the bees are thick around them. They're probably just doing what bees do, but they seem dizzy with delirium. A close look, and you may make out a couple at work.

When blooms and bees are done, the branches will grow heavy with little pea pods, first bright green then turning black. As they fall during the rest of the year, they break open and the ground is covered with shiny black dots like poppy seeds.

By then the desert heat is upon us and spring is only a distant memory of pleasant warmth and bright colors, doors and windows left open to the soft flow of air. These are the days, as a desert dweller, you cherish.