Walking Tour: Jurupa Aloe Walk

From last week, but just as gorgeous today

Today was the 10th annual Aloe Walk at the Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center. And, it was great! Succulent expert Buck Hemenway was our guide, and there was quite a crowd of expectant aloe aficionados on hand for the event. I wish I could show you just how great it was …

… but, somewhere along the line I lost the memory card from my camera. So, lost are my shots of the Walk, including Buck giving the avid crowd amazing facts about the aloes on display. (My favorite factoid pointed out that, unlike agaves, aloes are of the ‘old world’ and do not propagate naturally here in the ‘new world’). Missing are my pictures of dive-bombing hummingbirds, ignoring us completely, as they enjoyed the orange, rust and yellow blooms of several varieties. Aloes from Africa, Madagascar and other far-flung locations — in amazing color combinations and shapes and sizes, some planted over 40 years ago — all are on the missing card. MIA, too, are the cactus garden shots, taken when Buck led the group there after the aloe area. Sigh. I’ll have to be at the 11th annual Walk next year … There is an upside to this downer, though. I had a second memory card with me and I filled it with shots of my favorite non-plant attraction at the Jurupa Center: the dinosaurs! Let’s move on …