Palm Springs 2

[Canuck2]

Up north here, we're used to fir, spruce, birch, & poplar trees and such. So we find the foliage in southern - especially desert type - climates especially interesting. Such as:

This is a particularly nasty cactus (aren't they all?) called cholla. When these die, they leave a honey-combed woody trunk which is what tourists pick up and take home to decorate their flower gardens with.

A veritable wall of cholla.

In some areas, there are quite a few barrel cactus/cacti. When these croak, the fleshy part just disintegrates and a tangle of radial, multi-spiked thorn clusters are left. I gathered a couple and they poked holes in my backpack, so I let them go.

Then there's this scraggly looking thing called Ocotillo. Typically the plant is 8 or so feet tall.

However, the ocotillo blooms are quite nice. They were just beginning to show while we were there.

Finally, not a cactus, but the yucca plants were cool. This is left over from last year and is way bigger than any I've seen before, another 8 foot plant.

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[Diamond Archer 01]

Very cool pictures.

[ruttinbuc]

Very nice cactus pics, professor. I'd have liked to tag along for those lessons. Looks like the wife and dogs are having a good time.

[woolybear]

Great pics Canuck. Definately some interesting plants to see...at least to me they are where I come from.:camera:

[Chenango Dave]

Neat pics Canuk2