Saguaro Cactus
One of the great delights of last year’s (2021’s) strict-budget travels for me was discovering cacti.
Previously — throughout most of my life, really — I thought cactus were just small prickly plants that were difficult to kill and that could be bought at the supermarket for $5. I saw no particular beauty in them and did not find them interesting. I killed one once (quite by accident!) when I tried my hand at “having plants” as a college freshmen, and ever since then have not given them much thought at all. (Unless, perhaps, to think “meh.”)
And then I went to Arizona.
In December, my husband and I used our canceled-cruise airfare voucher1 and took a week’s vacation. As part of that vacation, we visited Saguaro Lake — which, apropos of its name, is surrounded by a forest of saguaro cacti — and it was there that I changed my mind about genus: cactus.
For one thing, saguaros are HUGE. Like… It’s hard to get a sense of dimension from the photo above, but that one is almost three stories tall.
For another: they are ANCIENT. They regularly live to be 200 years old, and their very existence is traceable to thousands of years past.
They are also a keystone species.2
And maybe it’s just one of those things you have to see to appreciate, but I found the saguaros to be amazing.
Mr Fever and I joke about having plants as pets, because now that we are an animal-free household, we have filled our living space with green growing things. And we were of a like mind when it came to the awesome factor where the Sonoran desert cacti were concerned: when we arrived home from our desert trip, the first thing we talked about was adopting a saguaro. 🙂
We don’t live in the right kind of climate to make that a legitimate goal.
But still.
They might not be the cuddliest kind of foliage, but I would love to have one for a plant pet. 🙂
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Have you ever seen a saguaro cactus?
What kind{s} of plants do you love? (Or loathe, as the case may be.)
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For the 2022 A-to-Z Challenge, I am asking (and answering) 26 get-to-know-you type questions: one for each letter of the alphabet. I’d love to read you comments on today’s topic! Please leave them in the space below.
1We were supposed to have taken a cruise to Hawaii in March of 2020. It was scheduled to leave (on my birthday!) out of California and do a loop-tour around the Hawaiian islands. Three days before we were scheduled to leave, the cruise line cancelled the trip. (Because, of course, that’s when the whole world shut down for COVID.) It took us nearly five months to get our money back — real money, mind you; I didn’t use a credit card – I paid for that vacation with earned money that came out of a bank account — for the cancelled cruise. We were unable to get a refund on our airline tickets. Instead, we were issued vouchers… That came with expiration dates. Thus, December 2021 became Fly To Phoenix Month.
2This means it is a species that has a disproportionate effect on its surrounding environment given its propagation. You can read more about keystones here and here.
Saguaro seems tall and strong.would be wonderful to b able to grow it i suppose. Nice to know more about it ….good that u were able to use the cancelled voucher
Dropping by from a to z “The Pensive”
It’s naturally occurring only in one place — very unique!
And yes, I’m glad to have been able to use the flight voucher. I’ve lost all faith in the travel industry after our COVID cancellation experience though. I’ve never enjoyed flying. Now, especially not.
Kitten lived outside of Phoenix near the edge of her subdivision. Saguaro we’re all around. When the developers were expanding they had to transplant saguaro because they take forever to grow. One the size you mentioned must have been hundreds of years old. They grow in colonies and don’t like standing on their own. They are beautiful but their spines are painful and do nasty things to bike tires. 😊 then again just about all the wildlife in Az will kill you. Beautiful but dangerous. Lovely pic. Thanks for sharing.
There are lots of rules about transplanting them. And you absolutely cannot cut them down!
I have seen Saguara and they’re awesome! Spend enough time with them, and it starts feeling like you’re amongst a tribe of beings that, to me, seem slightly amused at having to share the planet (and desert) with the likes of us. In a sense it feels humbling, and in another it feels wonderful – humanity could use a reminder that our egos are inflated.
I LOVE plants, especially flowering ones. Which reminds me of my cactus story. When I was little, my grandmother bought me a tiny little cactus and I was THRILLED. It had a tiny pink flower and I thought it was the best thing ever. Unfortunately, I overwatered it and it basically rotted. Sigh. At which point I found out that the “flower” wasn’t actually a cactus bloom, but a tiny straw flower stuck into the cactus. I swear, I was so outraged at having been tricked, I had a childhood existential crisis. 🙂
Oh — !! *laugh*
The parable of the false flower? Lol. I can picture (and understand!) the outrage. 🙂
One of the shared loves between Rosa and myself is the appreciation of succulents, primarily euphorbias, but cacti as well. The majority of our indoor plants are succulents and despite living in NJ, we have several outdoor species as well. In fact, Rosa had the idea to stop spending money on marigolds for our many window boxes and hanging pots and put perennial succulents in them instead. They multiply every year and if we want to take a weekend away in the heat of Summer, we don’t return home to dried out flowers.
We also like the look of them. They seem…….creepy and a bit unusual….and they can hurt you. Perfect plants for us. LOL Although we did have to toss one away because Rosa was adjusting it and it started to fall over and instinctively she just grabbed it instead of letting it fall. I spent a long time with tweezers and magnifiers getting the hairlike bristles out. She also needed some antihistamine because of the irritating toxins giving her a nasty rash. She never wanted to risk that happening again even though the plant was just being itself. 😉
As for size? You are correct that people don’t realize what these plants are capable of. In Lima the streets are lined with tree-sized euphorbias. We have one that is over 5′ tall. I also had one that was a magnificent in spread, (like antlers!) but lost most of it by putting it outside too soon. NJ is unforgiving in Spring. Anyway, I saved one part of it and it is attempting a comeback, but it is nothing like it used to be.
People also don’t associate the East Coast with cacti, but Sandy Hook Park is covered with them! I have never seen saguaro cacti in person, but I want to. I wouldn’t mind visiting Joshua Tree National Park either.
I’d like to go to Joshua Tree National Park as well. I’m interested in visiting several different national parks, actually; my husband and I have discussed taking a long-ish summer vacation to do just that — New Mexico and Utah are particularly fascinating to me with all the unusual rock formations.
Bummer that Rosa got stung by the nettles — cacti and succulents are hearty but testy; they know how to protect themselves!
Yup. It only lives in the Sonoran Desert, where we live. They are amazing, aren’t they? We have several within view of our house although we don’t have any in our yard. We also live in a mesquite bosque (forest) which is something no one expects in the desert. I’m so glad you liked our native plants!
They are very cool!
I am astounded at the height of that cactus! I’ve not seen these, but wow what an experience for you to have seen them in person. I like those little ones you buy at the store a lot, but eventually I guess I over water them . I did dig up a cactus from a lake near here and had it for a lot of years. It even bloomed a yellow flower each year. 🙂
Oh, how cool that your cactus bloomed! 🙂
Yes, they are incredibly large — I had no idea until I saw them in person that they grew so big — and they don’t start growing arms until they are about 100 years old. So the number of arms gives a good indication of age as well.
Its so nice to see a post dedicated to cactii – Saguaro. Yes I have seen it in Phoenix, Arizona. Previous to that I had only seen it in comics or on TV. A very impressive plant. I am glad you could could get a refund of your cancelled cruise. And the vouchers took you to see Phoenix! Have a good weekend on the AtoZ!
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I’m glad we went ; we plan to return again next winter. 🙂
The look of this cactus is impressive. Especially the trunk that grows horizontally 🙂