Species PlantsOcotillo

Ocotillo

Fouquieria splendens

CommonPlant
Illustration of Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens)

Ocotillo is one of the most iconic plants of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, producing long spiny canes topped with brilliant red flower clusters. It leafs out rapidly after rain and drops leaves in drought, cycling through this behavior multiple times per year. Costa's hummingbirds time their northward migration specifically to coincide with ocotillo blooming.

Habitat
Rocky desert slopes and bajadas of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts
Diet
Nectar consumed by Costa's hummingbirds and Scott's orioles
How common
Common

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