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by Kristy McCaffrey
The
mighty saguaro cactus is a native of the Sonoran Desert, located in southern
Arizona and California as well as much of Mexico.
Covered with protective spines, saguaro bloom
with white flowers in the spring and produce red fruit in the summer. Both
hydration and temperature affect the growth of a saguaro, and water is obtained
and stored in the trunk predominantly during the summer monsoon season. Saguaro
can grow to be over 60 feet tall and can weigh, when fully hydrated, between
3200 to 4800 pounds. They have a shallow root system, with only one deep root
(the tap root) that goes down about 2 feet.
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| Odd arm formations are usually a result of trauma to the cactus, likely from cold weather. |
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| After a severe winter storm, we lost this cactus in front of our home. We were fortunate that it fell away from the house. |
The Tohono O’odham—Native Americans located in
the Sonoran region and previously known as the Papago—have long used the
saguaro for food and shelter. “Saguaro boots,” holes bored out by birds to use as
nests, can be retrieved from fallen saguaro and used to hold water, a type of
ancient canteen.
Harming or moving a saguaro is illegal in the state of Arizona, unless a special
permit is obtained. One exception: if a private home sits on less than 10 acres
and a cactus falls during a storm (which has happened to us), then the
homeowner is permitted to remove the remains.
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| Saguaro are extremely heavy. My husband had to use a chain saw to cut the cactus into sections, then a tractor to drag the pieces into the desert. |
Saguaros
have a long life span, some living well over 200 years.
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| This saguaro is about 40 years old. |
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| This cactus has a hand. |
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| Sometimes a cactus loses its center trunk from a lightning strike, or because it was cut to make way for an electrical line. They're very resilient and continue to thrive. |
This has always been mu favorite cactus. Thank you for adding to my knowledge and the photos...I loved them. Doris
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Doris. :-)
DeleteI have always loved saguaros. They impress me as the outlaws of the cactus world, growing any ol' which-way they please and defying the laws of nature to take them down. In parts of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the shapes are so varied and twisted, one can almost imagine having stepped into a Dali painting. Beautiful and inspiring, those cactus. (That people with nothing better to do shoot them disgusts me. Maybe we should arm the saguaros and encourage them to shoot back?)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all your pictures, Kristy! As much as I love the Gulf Coast, there are times when I really miss the desert. Arizona is enchanting.
Does the cactus wearing the sun visor have a name?
Alas, I didn't name the youngster but I did let him wear my hat. We are about the same age, after all.
DeleteAmazing. We have cacti in Idaho but they're spindly little things (sharp spines, though). I love the pictures you posted, Kristy, and seeing a saguaro in real life is on my bucket list. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou've never seen a real-life saguaro? **blink, blink** Now that is a tragedy.
DeleteYou're welcome in Arizona anytime Jacquie! My kids are all moving out...something about making their way in the world, or some such nonsense...so we have empty bedrooms.
DeleteKristy, I love the pictures of all the cacti you provided for us. I've seen saguaro, but only when I was a child, and I remember thinking how cool that was! They are so unusual and varied. I didn't know there was a law against harming them. Anymore, there have to be laws for things we just never would have even thought of a few years back. I enjoyed this very much!
ReplyDeleteCheryl
It seems ridiculous that a law must be in place, but thank goodness for it. Out here, saguaro are moved frequently for landscaping purposes. It really is beautiful but on our property we do have a certain percentage of the land that is wild desert. That is also a law, and a good one.
DeleteLoved this Kristy! Of course being in UK I've never seen any cactus growing wild, (sorry to Kathleen!) Seeing these pictures I could almost feel the heat! What a shame that one fell down, they are quite spectacular looking things aren't they? Thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Jill. Very different in the UK!
DeleteWith so little in the way of. a root system, it's a wonder any of them can stand upright. I didn't know how protected they were. I also didn't know how heavy they are. I imagined them much lighter. Good thing it missed your lovely house. I like the courtyard with the gate. Great pictures, too. I really enjoyed your blog, Kristy.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I were very shocked that when we lost that cactus (later we lost another one too) just how shallow the roots were. Normally, a saguaro will grow protected by a palo verde tree or another saguaro. This helps anchor it to the ground. The one we lost was on its own in the middle of a dirt driveway, placed there for landscaping before we bought the house. But this was a huge detriment for the cactus. In the winter we can have torrential downpours that saturate and soften the ground. A big wind, and down comes the cactus. We've since learned to stay away from certain parts of the house during a storm in case another comes crashing down.
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