Observations by organpipecactusnm

Look for this perennial plant and it's brilliant pink/purple trumpet-shaped flowers in the washes from February to April. Listen and watch for hummingbirds who use this plant as a major source of sweet nectar.

Bighorn sheep find this plant delicious, but local people call it, "mal de ojo" or, "bad for eyes." Tiny hairs along the stem and leaves are rumored to irritate the eyes. Medicinally, a poultice of the plant is used to draw out splinters.

Found all over the monument, the chain fruit cholla is also known as the jumping cholla. Most hikers venturing into cholla country carry a hair comb in their first aid kits. This way, if a cholla jumps onto the hiker's leg or arm, they can use the comb to remove the cholla and keep their figures safe.

This plant helped save the whales. The antioxidant wax found in the nut is used as an important industrial lubricant, equivalent to sperm whale oil. This wax is also used in cosmetics and hair care products today.

We might be named for a different columnar cactus, but the monument is covered in these natural pillars. A true Sonoran Desert icon, the saguaro cactus can live 200 years. That means the older saguaros began growing when this area was still under Spanish rule.

Creosote (Larrea tridentata) is one of the most common shrubs of the Sonoran Desert, and is one of the most drought tolerant plants in the world. But, what makes this plant a favorite amongst visitors- it smells like rain, even when there is not a cloud in sight.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was named for this columnar cactus. It grows mostly on south- and east-facing hillsides where rocks absorb more solar heat. At night, these rocks slowly release that heat- wrapping the cactus in warm air- protecting it from frostbite.