Blue Sky Cotton by Kathie 12-10-08 4:49 PM MSTOne of the biggest surprises for me when I moved to Arizona was discovering they grow cotton here. I have always thought of cotton as a southern crop, but not a desert crop. I pass these fields along highway 287 from Picacho to Coolidge. As sunset neared on our drive home last Wednesday, the lighting was just perfect. I pulled off the road in this cotton field and jumped out to photgraph these huge bales.
Picacho Peak Cotton by Kathiesbirds 12-10-08 4:52 PM MSTThe remaining cotton looks almost like snow with Picacho Peak on the horizan. Picacho is a famous land mark along I-10. I mark my progress as I drive by its position in my vehicle's windows. It is also a State Park and a perfect place for hiking, bird watching, and for wildflower viewing in the spring.
Close-up of Cotton by Kathiesbirds 12-10-08
Cotton bales all in a row by Kathiesbirds 12-10-08
Mom, Mountains and Cotton 12-10-08 by Kathiesbirds
(Click on the button to continue your tour)
Photographer's info:
Close-up of Cotton by Kathiesbirds 12-10-08
Cotton bales all in a row by Kathiesbirds 12-10-08
Mom, Mountains and Cotton 12-10-08 by Kathiesbirds(Click on the button to continue your tour)Photographer's info:
- Blue Sky cotton: Focal Length: 27mm 1/250 sec - F/8
- Picacho cotton: Focal Length: 70mm 1/125 sec - F/4.5
- Close-up cotton: Focal Length: 70mm 1/320 sec - F/4.5
- Cotton Bales: Focal Length: 60mm 1/320 sec - F/4.5
- Mom, Mountains and cotton: Focal Length: 48mm 1/125 sec - F/5.6
11 comments:
How unique those cotton bales look, and so huge too. In my northern area it is difficult to imagine cotton growing on bushes, but yet the white landscape is familiar, especially at this time of year.
Happy Holidays!
Jump down
turn around
pick a bale of cotton.
Jump down
turn around
pick a bale a day...
Those bales are HUGE!
Veru impressive. Cotton can be really pretty in bloom. I grew some one year in my back yard, just for fun, and then sent some to school for show and tell with one of my kids. Grew peanuts, too. The squirrels got 'em.
I, like you, would not have thought of cotton growing in the desert. It used to grow well were I lived in Zambia so I guess it must be pretty drought resistant. Have a great weekend :)
Amazing! I never really gave any thought to what a "bale of cotton" might look like (and thanks to Lynne for reminding me about the song). Much bigger than the hay bales I'm used to.
I love your first picture. The color, the light- it's perfect. That stretch of road is where I first saw cotton growing in Arizona, too. Leon and I have climbed Picacho Peak. Not for the acrophobic- there are a few hairy spots on the trail.
Well, I got two surprises. One, I've never seen a cotton bale like that. And two, no I wouldn't have guess they grew cotton in AZ either. Great close up and view of the cotton field with the mountain in the background.
Great pictures - I love cotton. We have cotton fields in our area - I love when the field is completely white - always makes me think of snow! I guess you could say it is the south's version of snow- :)
Surprised me too, the first time I visited AZ. It was a couple of years before I connected Pima cotton to the state.
What an interesting post. I learned a lot, reading about your experiences, thank you.
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PS: Just to clarify, my poem for OSI was about 2 lovers (written a few years ago, for an "old" boyfriend from long ago LOL) not my brother. I did dedicate the post to my brother as it was his birthdate today.
Great pictures. I spent part of my childhood in Arizona and I had forgotten about the cotton growing until I saw your photos. I've seen cotton growing in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi also.
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