We admired Picketpost Mountain ahead of us to the SW during our Sunday hike
out of Superior exploring two more segments of the L.O.S.T. Trail (see Dec 4 post).
A little research revelaled that the mountain's unusual name stems from an early military camp established at the base of the mountain by General George Stoneman in 1870. The soldiers nicknamed the mountain “Picket Post” due to its usage as a sentinel point to guard their camp from attacks.
Fruiting Barrel Cactus
We were surprised to see fruit on a cactus at this time of year. However it seems that, unlike other local cactus which bloom in the spring, the barrel cactus blooms in late smmer. The juicy fruit can be food for rodents, birds, javelina and even people.
Not sure what this dry/dead groundcover is.
We have seen it many places in the desert around here.
The brilliant red/orange colour is dramatic.
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