"I think the American West really attracts me because it's romantic. The desert, the empty space, the drama." - Ang Lee
My impressions of the desert?
The Anza Borrego Desert is empty, desolate. That such a hostile place contains plants at all is somewhat of a surprise.
Here are some more desert photos taken with my Canon EOS M.
Ocotillos
Original Work by @creatr
I've seen enough to know that these are "ocotillos."
Wikipedia has supplied me with the proper botanical name: Fouquieria splendens, a plant that grows throughout the desert in this part of the world.
The ocotillo is certainly a strange, spindly creature.
I would venture a guess that Dr. Seuss may have been inspired by looking at these plants. They provide a stark outline against the sky when situated on top of a ridge.
Ocotillos
Original Work by @creatr
Walking among the ocotillos is like being in a Dr. Seuss story.
They thrust upward from the desert floor, branches zigging and zagging at random intervals.
Ocotillos
Original Work by @creatr
During much of the year, ocotillos look like dead sticks.
If you look closely at this photo, you can see where leaves have fallen away leaving only the appearance of a grey stick. It may help to "right-click" on the image below, "open in new window," and zoom in for a closer look.
Bare Ocotillo
Original Work by @creatr
Not many ocotillos were in blossom.
Here is one that was; unfortunately, this image is slightly out of focus. If you zoom in, you may get some idea of what the red ocotillo blossom looks like.
Ocotillo Blossoms
Original Work by @creatr
Here's a lovely photo,
courtesy of Wikipedia, that shows the brilliant red blossoms much more clearly.
Ocotillo Blossoms
By DiverDave (Own work) CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
I hope to post some more desert wildflower photos as I am able to identify them.
You can check out other posts in this series here:
Brittle Bush
Bigelow’s Monkeyflower
The Ocotillo
Purple Tansy
FIN
You are why I'm here on Steemit!
I have very eclectic interests and hope, over time, to write about them all.
⬇️To Check Out @creatr's World⬇️CLICK Each Image Below⬇️
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