Masses of yellow wildflowers, surrounded by prickly guardians of Cholla cactus, dot the flanks of the Superstition Mountains every spring. I first photographed them with the sun still high in the sky, producing nothing but descriptive “post-card” landscapes. It was essential to wait for the coming of dusk in order to make expressive images of such a striking scene as this. Just after the sun set, the landscape darkened, turning those yellow wildflowers into a foreground layer of gold at the base of these legendary mountains. The Cholla cactus plants add a transitional layer to the image. Meanwhile, the flank of the massive mountain that fills the background layer seems to be tinged with lingering patches of golden light as the day departs. Gold is a perfect metaphor for this place – for more than century, the area has been famous for its “lost gold mines,” including the still sought after “Lost Dutchman’s Mine.”