While travelling through the Arizona desert, I came across something that I never imagined I’d love quite this much: desert flowers. As you walk through the desert you see cacti,
 

dry bushes, and beautiful, yet surprising, spots of color.

Without a doubt, my favorite of all of the desert flowers are the yellow ones. Against the dusty background of the baking desert, these small discrepancies in the setting look like drops of sun. Just seeing them growing out of the hard-packed, baked clay ground is inspiring. How something so little, so fragile-looking, can survive in such a harsh environment is something that baffles me every time I pass a clump of the tiny blossoms. 

Walking in the desert and seeing sand and clay and cacti time after time can get rather monotonous, but these sparks of color help me stay engaged in my surroundings. 

I have to say, in a year of travelling, one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring, whimsical things that I saw were these tiny green shoots with their delicate, vibrant flowers against a backdrop of dusty red clay and dull green cacti. 

While in the desert, I braved the scorching heat to view these refreshing gems countless times, and it has been one of the highlights of my travels. When I come back to this place, the first thing I’ll do is drive out to the sweltering desert just to admire these tiny plants once more.
 

Alice Toussaint Pittman is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program.

All photos courtesy and copyright Alice Toussaint Pittman