An Arizona Christmas Tree

An ocotillo,
not a true cactus, but makes
a great Christmas tree!

~ carliewired

Most of the year, the ocotillo just looks like a bundle of large, spiny, dead sticks. With a little rain, it soon sprouts some small, oval leaves. It is a native plant of the Sonoran desert of the American southwest and the Mexican north.

We've had more than our usual share of wet weather this fall, so the ocotillo in the Yuma area is looking quite lush and some are getting ready to bloom.

This beautifully decorated ocotillo is in our neighbourhood. One marvels how it can be safely draped with lights and decorated with baubles without some injury!