February 24, 2014 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

Organ Pipe is just south of Ajo, Arizona. It is also in the Sonoran desert. It is a very wet desert, by desert standards, so it is very lush. It is a drought right now, but there are photos of it all green.

The bus in the Twin Peaks campground in the park. Very nice campground. It has over 200 sites. With the senior card it is only $6 a night. No hook ups. Very dark and very quiet at night. Lots of wild flowers.

A bumpy organ pipe cactus and a lone saguaro.

In the visitors center I saw this traditional calendar of the Tohono O’odham-the native Indians of this area. It is interesting that is has first and second summers. The first summer is mid April to mid July. It is hot, over 100 during the day with no rain. The Second summer follows until mid September and there are violent thunderstorms then and very wet. There is also rain in the winter here. Two rainy seasons make it very green. Chain fruit cholla, the Cholla drop their segments and they get carried away by animals or wind, they then root and produce more arms as in the 2nd and third photos. This basket is a traditional Indian basket made from bear grass.

The ocotillo green up with leaves within 5 days of a rain storm. When it gets hot their leaves turn ‘autumn’ colors and fall off. Yellow flowers and a yellow cactus. The cactus is likely dying. Underneath them is a side splotch lizard. The Ocotillo branches with no leaves, but lots of thorns are are at contorted angles near the ends with red blossoms, ocotillo blossoms up close, seed heads and tiny leaves of the fairy duster plant. Most trees in the desert have tiny leaves and they drop them when it gets hot to conserve moisture.

A cross section of a saguaro cactus from the visitors center, a skeleton of a saguaro, yellow flowers, purple flowers, fruit of a barrel cactus, the top of one of the organ pipes arm, purple flowers, red cholla flowers.