White Winged Dove on Saguaro Flowers
Cluster of Saguaro Flowers
Young Saguaro (100 years old)
Multiple Saguaro Arms
Mature Saguaro (200 years old)
Barrel Cactus Group
Barrel Cactus Flower Smile
Purple Prickly Pear Pad
Reg Manning – Cartoon Cactus Postcard
Reg Manning – Cartoon Elf Owl Nest in Saguaro
Horny Toad on Opuntia Cactus Pad
Desert Spiny Lizard
Sonoran Gopher Snake
Javelina (Peccary) and Twin Piglets
Round Tailed Ground Squirrel
Male Gambel’s Quail
Anna’s Hummingbird on Nest
Desert Pollinators Sign
Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly on Red Salvia
White Datura Flower (Moon Lily)
Cercidium Desert Museum Palo Verde Tree
Giant Easter Lily (Red Cactus Flowers)
The abundance of life in the Arizona desert is amazing! If you look closely, you will see all kinds of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and plants.
The cacti in Arizona are especially fascinating. Barrel cactus act like a compass and usually lean south. Saguaros come in endless shapes and sizes. They grow their first arm when they reach 75‑100 years old, and don’t reach full size until the age of 200! They are 98% water and can survive 4 years without a drink. Bats pollinate the flowers at night, and hummingbirds visit the flowers during the day. Sometimes little elf owls and woodpeckers nest inside the cactus – it keeps them nice and cool. Saguaros are so unique and full of character that a funny cartoon book was written about them by Reg Manning: “What Kinda Cactus Izzat?”.
Although the desert may seem somewhat barren during the dry season, flowers can appear quickly after a rain. The desert is most beautiful at that time! We are already planning another visit!
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