Springtime for the Ocotillo

I spent this afternoon in the area of the Lost Dutchman and the ghost town of Goldfield, just east of Apache Junction. The area has been featured in this blog several times before, and I have more photos from today to share. But in keeping with the theme of spring, I wanted to share a photo of how the ocotillo celebrates spring in the Valley, by budding and blooming furiously. Here is a beautiful view taken on a beautiful spring day. Need I say more?

Desert Afternoon

Another cool, autumnal day in the Valley, and this afternoon I made a return visit to the Superstition Mountains. Wanting to test my zoom lens one more time, I couldn't resist taking a close-up of the mountain. I wanted to see the level of detail my camera would capture, and I wasn't disappointed. Below, classic desert scenes of saguaro and ocotillo. It was a beautiful day here in Arizona and worth capturing in photography.

Desert Views Outside Apache Junction, AZ

Saguaro and ocotillo, outside Apache Junction, AZ

The above photo was taken along a walking trail at the visitor center near the Superstition Mountains, outside of Apache Junction. I love ocotillos, as many readers of this blog might already know all too well. One of the challenges, though, of taking photographs of ocotillos lies in their spindly, crooked branches, a feature that I find to be very beautiful, but which sometimes makes an ocotillo appear to look insubstantial in a photograph. To be sure, there are some very tall, fully grown ocotillos that enjoy dense growth of a vast number of branches, giving the plant a more solid appearance, but that is not always the case, especially with specimens of young or moderate age. Here, the ocotillo on the right is visually anchored by a palo verde tree present behind it and a large saguaro on the left. Very nice.

Saguaro outside Apache Junction, AZ

I love the saguaro, too. Here, I am looking up at a mature saguaro. The saguaro, like many desert plants, are slow-growers. If I recall correctly, it takes a saguaro about 60 years before they start to grow an arm. It's incredible to imagine such slow and steady growth spanning across decades. We live in a society that stresses immediacy. Quick results, instant satisfaction. There is something to be said for the slow, tenacious pace of a saguaro's growth. It's growth with the long view in mind. Now, of course I realize that saguaros don't possess a human mind. But their rate of growth can serve as a great metaphor for those of us living in a society obsessed with immediate gratification, but yet cannot find contentment. Maybe slow and steady wins the race, after all.

Desert outside Apache Junction, AZ

There is nothing special about this view. Buildings in the foreground, power lines stretching distances. But the background of desert and mountains is simply stunning. This is the reason why I wanted to move back out West. Don't get me wrong: I am a born-and-bred Chicagoan, and I love my hometown in a way I could love no other place, but there is something powerful about the wide open spaces of the American West, the profound quiet of the wilderness, and yet the moodiness of the rocky, mountainous terrain. There is something poetic to the landscape, something potent that borders on the spiritual.

Saguaro skeleton, outside Apache Junction, AZ

I love saguaro skeletons, and so I could not resist taking this photo. It always amazes me that this vertical ribcage is what lies beneath the verdant surface of the saguaro. Somehow, I have an almost cartoonish image in my mind of the interior of a saguaro, due to the liquid the cactus stores. I imagine a cartoon character poking a saguaro and enjoying a tap pouring forth like water from a faucet. It's incredible to see what lies underneath what is to me a botanical mystery.

Superstition Mountains, AZ

I just thought this was a cool idea for a photo. The visitor center has an Old Western style stable that now serves as part of its Western-themed exhibit. Inside now, among other things, are photos of old movie stars that once used the Old Western buildings on this site for making Western films. I thought it would be kind of cool to snap a photo of the Superstition Mountains from inside the doorway of the stable, giving the sense of someone emerging from a darkened interior into the wide open space of the desert and the bright light of the sun. By the way, that snake alert sign on the left, advising everyone to stay on the paved paths and be on the lookout for snakes, was unnecessary, as far as I was concerned. Trust me, I had no intention of straying off the beaten path!

Superstition Mountains, AZ

I posted a photo similar to this one early on in this blog, but today was such a beautiful, sunny day that I couldn't resist including another such photo of the Superstition Mountains. I love the jagged quality of the peaks and the interplay of shadow and light. I love the path bordered on each side by teddy bear cholla cactus. The whole scene looks almost surreal.

Dead tree, outside Apache Junction, AZ

And yes, at least one dead tree had to grace this post of desert photos with its presence. There is something about the juxtaposition of dead trees with living trees that adds dimension to the desert scene. I think I mentioned this before. It is very much an image of the Great American Southwest. Tomorrow, I will post the photos of the ghost town of Goldfield.

Saguaro Seen through Branches

Saguaro as seen through an ocotillo's branches

Today, I didn't travel far. I made a visit to Goldfield, another Western ghost town that has been converted into a tourist destination with a frontier theme. This is in the area of the Superstition Mountains and the visitor center I took photos at and posted on this blog a few weeks ago. The visitor center actually has a few desert walking trails, and so, trying to get all artsy, I took this photo of a saguaro framed by an ocotillo's bare branches. By the way, this ocotillo, while seeming to be dead, is actually very much alive, just dormant. A closer look would reveal a slight verdant shade to the branches, betraying a solid sign of life. I have other photos I took from today, many of the town of Goldfield, and I will share those later. Enjoy!

The Happy Ocotillo

Close-up, ocotillo in bloom, Phoenix, AZ

This photo is probably not of interest to anyone but me. Okay, and probably some hungry hummingbirds, too. I have wanted to catch a close-up of the ocotillo in bloom. Ocotillos are interesting plants. There are times when their foliage will brown and die off, and then the ocotillo goes dormant. But after a good rain, the ocotillo buds and becomes verdant again. And yes, on occasion throughout the year, it blooms these bunches of small, orange, tubular flowers.

Another Beautiful Ocotillo

Ocotillo, Tombstone, AZ

Yes, you are detecting a recurrent theme on this site, my tendency to capture in photography beautiful ocotillos wherever I find them. I really love this Sonoran native, and this one was an especially beautiful, full-bodied specimen. I hope to get back out into the desert soon, where I can find more beautiful ocotillos growing out in the wild, but I couldn't resist taking a photo of this one. I also have photos of the town of Tombstone and will post those soon.

Portrait of an Ocotillo

The Ocotillo, Superstition Mountains, AZ

Okay, this is not the most dramatic photograph, but the weather has not been complying with my demand for sunny weather for my photo excursions. Last night we enjoyed some rain. This is another photo that I took yesterday while visiting the museum at the Superstition Mountains, where they have a botanical exhibit featuring native Sonoran plant-life. There is even a placard beneath the ocotillo bearing its name. How perfectly educational! Well, regular viewers of this blog are probably already aware of my love for the ocotillo, a remarkably beautiful native Arizona plant. Enjoy the day!

More Photos from Saguaro National Park

Here are some other photos I took last April at Saguaro National Park near Tucson, AZ. Enjoy!

Cholla

There are many different types of cholla. This one is indigenous to Arizona. The one native to northern New Mexico is not as fuzzy-looking and bears beautiful magenta blooms.

Ocotillo in a field of saguaro

Hands down, the ocotillo is my all-time favorite desert plant. What looks like a confused array of dead bramble is actually very much alive and thriving under the desert sun.

A gathering of saguaro

Nothing is more of a symbol of the American West than the saguaro. Fans of the spaghetti western movie readily recognize the saguaro and identify it with Arizona.

Saguaro multitude

Banded together, the saguaro look like a gathering, like sentinels on guard.

Saguaro with desert and town in the distance

What's more beautiful, the foreground or the background? For me, it's simply a tie.

The Beauty of an Ocotillo Blooming

Saguaro National Park West, approximately 15 miles from Tucson, Arizona, is a stunning patch of desert that you could encounter almost completely by accident, if you didn't already know that it was there. The road leading to the Park is a small, desert road that bears no indication of possessing a specific destination. Gradually, the saguaro thicken to a multitude, you see the welcome sign, and the next thing you know you have crossed over into sheer beauty.

These are photographs I took in April 2012, when I made a trip to the Park. I had been long wanting to take photos of this Park, especially in the spring, when the ocotillo blooms.

A Blooming Ocotillo, Saguaro National Park, AZ

Ocotillo in Bloom, with Desert and Mountains in Distance, Saguaro National Park, AZ

The ocotillo is an amazing plant. A native of the Sonoran Desert, and often overshadowed by the saguaro cactus, the ocotillo's appearance highlights the very character of the desert. What appears to be nothing but a collection of dead, upright branches, the ocotillo will bud small petals of leaves up and along its limbs. But the ocotillo will bloom its bright orange plumes even when its branches are bare, setting off a sharp contrast between the flamboyantly alive and the seemingly dead, much like how the desert itself seems dead and barren until you take a closer, more attentive look. Sometimes we just need the patience to look more closely at things, to give them our slow, steady attention, so that we can gain a better appreciation of them. What might seem barren might actually be teeming with life (and potential!)

Check it out: Saguaro National Park