THE CHIHUAHUAN DESERT

The Chihuahuan Desert straddles the border with Mexico.  On the US side it stretches into southern New Mexico, very southeastern Arizona and Texas, west of the Pecos River (West Texas).   On the Mexican side it encompasses the entire states of Chihuahua and Coahuila as well as parts of Durango.    

There are three major deserts in the US....the Chihuahuan, the Sonoran and the Mojave.   The Chihuahuan is the largest of the three.   Deserts are fascinating places....while they can be very unforgiving for the unprepared, they also offer up a beauty all their own.   This is the second year for Pam and I visiting the deserts of the US.....I have visited many times previously; but this is the first time for me to visit in late Spring and early Summer.   This is the time of year when the plants and cactus put forth their blooms, and it is wonderful.   Below are some of the more prolific desert plants:

This is a cholla cactus.  There are many variety of cholla, and all of them are "ready to release their very sharp spines" upon contact.    

Here is a cholla blossom in late Spring.   The cholla is but one of hundreds of cactus varieties, commonly referred to as succulents. 

Probably the most common cactus plant in the Chihuahuan Desert is the Prickly Pear.  They are virtually all green and shaped like this rare purple version.  Prickly pear are used to make jellies and salsas as well as many other fine southwestern dishes.  And they are a favorite food of the javelinas, or desert wild pigs.   Imagine sinking your teeth into one of these spiny "delicacies".

 Desert Willows are very common in West Texas, the more northern reaches of the Chihuahuan.

Also common is this desert rose, about to bloom when we took the photo.

Just to prove that all thistles don't grow in Scotland (although it is the Scots flower), this Mexican thistle thrives along the US-Mexican border.   This photo was taken in Naco, right on the border.

Here a hummingbird gets some pollen from the flower of the Ocotillo cactus plant.   The Ocotillo are a "spindly" plant and can grow up to 20 feet high or higher.

This is a good example of a Zeriscape garden of the southwest.  Since water is such a precious commodity, not to be wasted, many home gardens offer up lovely zeriscapes....gardens that eliminate or minimize the need for irrigation.   There is so much more to the desert than what I have offered here.....but maybe this sampling has whet your appetite for a visit to one of America's great deserts.....?