The letter O is brought to you today by…
Ocotillo!
We have a lot of these in the Sonoran Desert. I do mean A LOT! Most of the time, visitors to our state think they’re just dead plants, and probably wonder what happened to kill them all off. But ocotillos have adapted to live in our desert climate. During periods of dryness, they conserve water by not producing leaves or blossoms – which means they look like a bunch of dead sticks (like the picture above)! However, when it rains, which it does, something wonderful happens – the ocotillo will rapidly grow green leaves…
…and lovely red blossoms.
Ocotillos can also help create some beautiful images…
…by framing our state’s cactus, the Saguaro!
Happy Hiking! 🙂
Along the way with Julia 
Apr 17, 2013 @ 16:21:15
My neighbor has a massive ocotillo in his yard and I always look forward to when it blooms! 🙂
Apr 17, 2013 @ 22:59:29
I’ve been lucky enough to visit when these are blooming. And I like how they are used to make fences, too.
Have fun with A to Z!
Jenny at Choice City Native
Apr 18, 2013 @ 13:09:12
Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂
Apr 18, 2013 @ 03:39:06
I’ve seen those all around and never knew what they were called. I’m learning so much during this challenge!
Connie
A to Z-ing to the end
Peanut Butter and Whine
Apr 18, 2013 @ 13:08:49
I’m loving this challenge, because I’m also learning a lot from new bloggers I hadn’t discovered before! 🙂