Saguaro blooms

Click the pictures to see them close-up

I visited my favorite Saguaro early yesterday morning- about 6 AM, before the night blooming flowers closed up for the day. I wasn't the only one up early to get close to those flowers- the bees had beat me there and were enjoying an early breakfast. I wish I were 10 feet tall and could take pictures that show the yellow centers of these amazing flowers.. Or maybe I could ask the neighbor if I could stand on her house.....ahhhh no...probably not.

Saguaro sky

During a walk around my neighborhood at dusk I discovered my neighbors lovely Saguaro is starting to bud out. I thought the moon and the buds made for a great picture for SkyWatch Friday. As I walked up close to it I heard noises inside- it was alive with bird sounds coming from within the cactus. This Saguaro has lots of holes that must led to inner nests- it was so cool standing there hearing and almost feeling the vibrations of the birds.

For more SkyWatch pictures from around the world and to join in the fun yourself please visit SkyWatch Friday.

A Spring day on Arizona Highway 79

Here are more pictures from my trip through the Arizona desert.
The Mesquite trees in the desert are often overgrown with parasitic Mistletoe as in the picture below. The Mistletoe often takes over with little of the original tree left to see. The birds eat the berries and spread the seeds through their droppings. The birds also build nests in the Mistletoe which provides good protection for them.


The Chollas are also very odd with strange shapes. In the dark they throw weird shadows indeed.

And brand new Cholla buds forming.


And there is nothing that tops the mighty saguaro cactus. The multiple arms indicate this one is over a hundred years old.

Just a random shot of the Sonoran desert- barren it is not!

And another showing mostly brush and trees

I wish I could label all of these wildflowers for you but I don't know all the names. I look forward to some comments identifying them for me. This first is a Desert Marigold I believe, with a little bug checking it out.

The bugs sure like these- here is a ladybug visiting the bloom.

I stopped by the "Tom Mix" monument and there were tourists posing for "Cowboy" style pictures.

The writing reads "Tom Mix- whose spirit left his body on this spot. And whose characterizations and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old west in the minds of living men."

The mighty Saguaro

I got my first look at the mighty Saguaro at age 12, when I visited Arizona for the first time with my parents. I was amazed at the huge cactus and the exotic landscaping of the Sonoran desert. To a kid from South Dakota this was a strange land indeed. About 15 years ago I lived in cold Wyoming and a picture of a Saguaro adorned my bulletin board- it was a dream I'd had forever to live in Tucson Arizona. I did eventually make it and after 14 years living here, I am still captivated with this harsh and beautiful desert and its plant and animal inhabitants. The Saguaro is pretty amazing, and as I've posted previously I would love to have one in my yard. I am lucky though that there are a few in my neighborhood so I don't have to walk far to enjoy them.

The Saguaro in my header picture and in the first three pictures below, is actually two Saguaros that have grown together. The one lost an arm and their main trunks are very pitted with holes but they seem pretty sturdy overall and I hope to have them standing longer than I am around to take pictures of them. The two of them leaning together look so content and harmonious don't you think?








Another neighbor has this young Saguaro in her yard. This one has no arms yet so is less than 100 years old. The large ones with more than five arms are estimated to be more than 200 years old. Can you imagine what they have seen in their lifetimes? It boggles the mind!

The pictures below are from Picacho Peak in Picacho Arizona. The southernmost battle of the Civil War was fought here and it is reenacted each year in the same spot. The Saguaros grow up the side of the hills- quite a sight!

The Saguaro blooms in May with beautiful white flowers. The ones in my header picture are closed as they are night blooming. They are pollinated by bats, insects and birds. Fruit follows the flowers. The fruit is often made into candy and syrups.

An interesting fact I found is that the Saguaro flower has more stamens than any other cactus flower and the fruit has more seeds than any other cactus fruit.