The Saguaro Cactus
The Saguaro Cactus (pronounced saw-war-oh) only grows in the Sonoran Desert . This desert is located in Mexico, Arizona, and just a small portion of the Baja peninsula in California. These cacti can grow up to 50 feet tall and live over 200 years!
Under their spiny exterior, they have a wood like structure that collects water in the rainy season and stores it for the plant to survive the dry season. These cacti survive woodpeckers that build nests in them (which are later used for other birds), growing around the hole made by the bird.
Saguaro National Park has two sections - the Rincon Mountain and the Tucson Mountain districts. When we asked one of the rangers what the difference was, she noted “The Rincon district has taller Saguaro, but the Tucson district has a higher density of them.” This description proved to be 100% correct. We started out visiting the East/Rincon district and enjoyed the car ride through the park on a winding road. We saw so many different size and shaped Saguaro, and some VERY tall specimens!
A few days later, we visited the West/Tucson district and were amazed at how many Saguaro were on the drive through the park. Also, the visitor’s center on this side has some really neat cut outs showing the internal structure of the cactus.
Can you tell from the photos which were taken in the East district and which in the West? Visiting these parks is definitely worth the trip if you are in the area!
