Sonoran Desert Ocotillo

Ocotillo is native to this area. But they aren’t common on the Double Barrel Ranch. I suspect many years ago they were harvested and utilized for their formidable branches to make excellent fencing. We brought them back in our “cactus garden” in front of the house and they have self seeded.

April has been a month without any measurable rain. But the Ocotillo faithfully produce their flowers, waiting patiently for the pollinators. The branches only sprout leaves during the warmer months when there is sufficient rain. And when the rain goes elsewhere, the leaves are shed. This sprouting and shedding can occur more than once a year. 

So here are these naked, thorn-studded branches, waving in the wind, with their glorious color.

April Anniversary

 The ranch is suddenly in a heat wave: a few days ago it was 29º and I had concern for my bare water lines. Yesterday it was 93º. The mesquite trees are leafing out and traditional stories say the mesquite waits until all threat of frost is gone before it leafs out. Sounds sound to me! 

Today is the 35th anniversary of my permanent arrival in Arizona. (We had come from Mansfield, Pennsylvania. We left on April 1 and had many adventures but that's another story.) Somehow I never took a photo of my caravan but we pulled into the Double Barrel Ranch with an Oldsmobile sedan pulling a 20 foot travel trailer, and a GMC 3/4 ton pickup hauling a horse trailer with 2 horses. I drove the truck, and Fred drove the Olds with his 18 year old daughter as co-pilot. There was nothing here. Not even a place to pull in. Taming the wilderness and building a homestead began. And there on our land were those two Barrel Cacti, growing side by side.