Big Bend Desert Shrubs
5 galleries
Beautiful desert shrubs dominate the Big Bend landscape in their respective seasons - Red Ocotillo, Purple Sage and Yellow Bells. These highlights are among the many shrub species that thrive in the many Big Bend habitats.
Five photo galleries highlight the varied and colorful shrubs of Big Bend National Park.
Five photo galleries highlight the varied and colorful shrubs of Big Bend National Park.
Loading ()...
-
37 imagesOcotillo - or horsewhip - is perfectly adapted to the desert environment. It's waxy coating conserves water. More importantly, its small leaves appear quickly after rains, do their work of photosynthesis and then drop off during the next dry spell. This can happen several times a year. The bright red flowers come in the springtime, leaves or not. I can't stop photographing the Ocotillo. These 37 are my current favorites.
-
30 imagesBig Bend can appear purple in September when the Sage is blooming at full power. Shrubs suddenly spring to life after the late summer rains filling the air with the sweet scent of sage. Here are 30 photos in this gallery in my attempt to capture the vivid color of Big Bend's sage.
-
14 imagesAmong the many surprising sights of Big Bend are large bushes of the most delicate looking Yellow Bells growing in the desert following the late summer rains. These shrubs are very common in along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Driver from the Burro Mesa area down to Cerro Castellan. Over a dozen photos fill this gallery of Yellow Bells.
-
7 imagesThe Old Ore Road has dense colonies of Candellaria, a short shrub that thrives in the Chihuahuan Desert. Its coating is prized as a source of wax for candles and cosmetics and is often grown and harvested in northern Mexico. My photos of Candellaria show the delicate blooms on slender stalks.
-
18 imagesMany shrubs fill the desert landscape of Big Bend. Creosote covers many areas of desert, while other shrubs tend to stay in the foothills and Chisos Basin. This gallery has 18 photos showing some of the variety of Big Bend's shrubs.