Tuesday, April 11, 2017

El Paso: UTEP: An Ocotillo Day


Ocotillo in April, Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, UTEP, El Paso, Texas.



The stalky ocotillo may be my favorite desert plant. Seeing these April ocotillos at UTEP's Chihuahuan Desert Gardens was like seeing a cherished friend.


When dormant, the ocotillo is just a spiny, angular, unattractive reedy collection of gray stalks. But when it blooms and when it leafs out, oh, I admire how it preens so prettily against the sky.

Ocotillo in April, Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, UTEP, El Paso, Texas.


An ocotillo I crushed on at Leasburg Dam State Park in New Mexico a few years back:

Ocotillo at Leasburg Dam State Park, New Mexico. May 2013.

Ocotillo at Leasburg Dam State Park, New Mexico. May 2013.

Ocotillo at Leasburg Dam State Park, New Mexico. May 2013.

See that hummingbird up there?




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