Plants and Trees of the Sonoran Desert

Saturday, December 13, 2014

It rained last night a little and today is just gorgeous with clear blue skies, but a little on the cool side.  Only getting to low 60s, but no wind today so that will allow the sun to feel warm.

I have decided to stay near camp today and take photos of the common plants and trees around the area.  As you can guess, not many trees and a lot of cactus.

I am not very knowledgeable about plants and trees in the Sonoran Desert, so I am using the Internet to help, but some of them I just cannot find.

The most common tree is the Palo Verde tree or a large bush to some.

The Creosote bush is by far the most common bush around the area.  You see them everywhere.  You can’t walk or drive anywhere in the desert  without one being underfoot.  The Brittle bush is a close second to the Creosote bush.
 
The Saguaro Cactus is the one I see around here the most.  They are beautiful and in this area they are everywhere.  They are most prevalent near the mountain slopes and as you get further into the flat desert, there are not as many.

The Ocotillo Cactus is fairly common also.
Then you have the Cholla Cactus.  These guys have a bite and you do not want to get a barb in you from one of these guys.This is what they usually look like.  They are called Jumping Teddy Bear Cholla Cactus and they grow in colonies.We are within 30 miles of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument so we have our share of them around here too.

 
Not so common right around camp is the Barrel Cactus.  There are many more in the flat desert area.  Had to hunt for this guy today, but I found him.This is enough for one day.  There are more, but I’ll stop here for the day. 

Time to rest so will see you later.