Two Scenic Drives

There is such a variety of vegetation in this area.  It would require a long time to describe all of it in detail, or for that matter, just to see it all.

The park service has established two scenic drives that wind through the most interesting areas of Organ Pipe Cactus NM, and we decided to see what they had to offer.  The first drive that we took is called North Puerto Blanco Drive, and is a short 5 mile one-way road along the Puerto Blanco Mountains.  It's dirt/gravel, but is an interesting introduction to the flora and fauna of the region.  The second drive is a 21 mile loop named Ajo Mountain Loop, and winds around and through the Diablo Mountains.  This drive, while on a gravel road, is spectacular.  There are literally thousands of Ocotillo, Chollo, and Organ Pipe cactus, along with creosote and jojoba plants to see.

This is representative of some of the "groves" of Organ Pipe Cactus.  The dead plants resemble the pipes of an organ, hence the name.  They are amazing plants.  One of the best specimens had a "crest" in the middle of the plant.

It's kinda hard to see, but the shorter vertical piece in the center has a completely different pattern than the rest of the plant.  Some sort of genetic anomaly, they say, but beautiful in its own way.

This Cholla cactus has hanging fruit pods that attach themselves to passing animals as a way of propagation.  Neat, huh?

And then there is this almost perfect Saguaro cactus.  This plant is about 30 feet tall, and the guide book says that each arm requires 90 years to develop. This plant would be about 300 years old!