Ocotillos and their lights

Ocotillos have a bold personality, daring to set bloom on dead appearing spindly stems. Some try to reach the sky and others spread outwards like an alien with multiple arms in a sci-fi.

To a hummingbird, it is a welcoming gesture from an old friend offering sweet nectar. The beautiful bright flowers held up high on the tall stems are easy for a hummingbird to spot. 

These bold ocotillos, appropriately called “little torches” (Spanish) brighten up the desert at this time of year. Even the baby ocotillos, barely a foot tall, are excited to set out bloom. It is a celebration, a parade of ocotillos out there, all shapes, sizes and ages, carrying torches, excited to greet the warm season.