Saguaro National Park, Arizona

Saguaro National Park, Arizona
We have arrived in the desert at a great time of the year. Since there was enough rain this winter the desert plants are in full bloom now and are beautiful. There are 2 sections of this National Park, one on the west side and the other on the east side of Tucson. The saguaro has been called monarch of the Sonoran, supreme symbol of the American Southwest and a plant with personality. This is one of Sue’s favorites and they do grow to great size and in some surprising shapes. They may soak up as much as 200 gallons of water from a single rainfall which can last them up to a year. They can swell in size, with added water, so that they can survive up to 2 years without rain. There are over 25 species of cacti in the Sonoran Desert. We did lean a new fact about the jackrabbit, in and that it does not burrow to keep cool in the desert heat, but lays flat under a shade bush.
Saguaros grow very slowly, by year’s end a seedling may measure only l/4 inch. After 15 years it may be nearly 12 inches tall, at about 30 years they begin to flower and produce fruit. After 75 years it may sprout its first branch or arms. Saguaros that live 150 years or more attain the grandest size towering 50 feet and weighing 16,000 pounds or more dwarfing every other thing in the desert.