Nice, Cool Start

Some Ocotillos are leafing out

We're beginning to see some of the benefits of recent rains, the most conspicuous of which is the leafing out of Ocotillos--the giant buggy whips that populate great swaths of the Chihuahuan Desert.  There's something about seeing Ocotillos in all their green finery that makes it seem cooler in this arid land than it actually is.  Actually, it was 62 F when we set out this morning, and Becca and I were treated to a constant and brisk cool wind out of the south.  The wind is supposed to shift from the north later today, bringing drier conditions.

Others are not

Some Ocotillos are shadier than others

Somebody's been chomping on Prickly Pear pads

Lizard in a Creosote Bush

West of Tortugas Mountain

Large Ocotillo with greenery

Ocotillos greening out on the foothills trail