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.
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.
Saguaros
have a long life span, some living well over 200 years.
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4 comments:
We used to stay every Easter at a ranch near Saguaro Natiional Park. I miss it terribly but those horses knew exactly how to get up close and personal with the cacti. After one year of that I got me some mighty fine chaps.
Andrea,
How funny and annoying. And didn't it hurt the horses when they did it? (As well as the riders lol).
Hi, Kristy! I envy you living near such majestic beauty. I also have good memories of times I've visited Saguaro National Park. We used to have a great children's book I'd read to my kids about the saguaro cactus and you reminded me of the "boot" home for birds and desert creatures. I remember once while staying at a guest ranch we went for a horseback ride and the guide pointed out a giant cactus with a fork stuck in it. He said the fork had been stuck there for 100 years!I hated to see the cactus that had been used for target practice :-( Thanks for a great post today that took me out of cold, rainy Chicago.
When I lived in Tucson, I used to drive out in the desert just to admire these! Love your post!
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