Saguaro National Park sits on either side of Tuscon, Arizona's second largest city. Yes, it's a park in two parts, East (Rincon Mountain District) and West (Tuscon Mountain District), 33 miles apart. We elected to visit the Eastern portion and take the Cactus Forest Loop Drive, an 8 mile one-way loop best driven and not walked. We stopped in at the Visitor's Center, already starting to melt in the heat. The volunteer ranger very politely asked us to hike no more than a quarter mile, as they didn't have enough staff to go out and fetch us if we collapsed in the heat. We did as requested. Nevertheless, we saw a young shirtless man, headphones on, jogging in the heat, no water bottle in sight. As our ranger informed us, the heat is so dry, we don't realize how much we are sweating, and can easily become dangerously dehydrated. (If all this is making you nervous, visit these parks in the winter!)
But now on to the main attraction - the mighty Saguaro, the biggest cactus in the United States. Contrary to all those cowboy movies, the saguaro growns only in portions of the Sonoran Desert, but it is an iconic symbol of the Southwest. The Saguaro doesn't reach its full height until 125-150 years, when it is typically 40-50 feet tall, but can be as much as 75 feet tall. Think 3 to 7 stories in height. It also can weigh 6 tons, as it 75-95% water. But it grows oh so slowly. After 5 years, it might be an inch tall (not a misprint) and it won't flower until 35 years, and grow "arms" until about 75 years old. It can live to 200 years, perhaps longer, and it either dies of old age, wind, fire, or freezing conditions.
The park was created in 1933 primarily because of a forest of Saguaro giants that had formed due to exceptionally perfect conditions over the preceding decades. The forest of giants is now mostly gone, but the habitat is preserved, and new saguaros are slowly growing.
Baby saguaros have the best start when sheltered by mesquite trees or palo verde trees. The latter trees have green trunks and limbs, hence the name. As the saguaros grow they outlive the nurse trees.
While the heat was indeed oppressive, our sweat was rewarded by seeing the Saguaro in bloom. The round cream colored blooms are Arizona's state flower, and only last a single day. Birds, bats, bees and moths feed on the nectar and serve as pollinators. Then the flowers drop off and deep red fruit take their place in July. The Tohono O'odhamo ("Desert People") harvest the fruit for wine and syrup, using a very long pole.
We saw other cactus, too, some in bloom - the prickly pear, teddy bear cholla, barrel cactus, organ pipe cactus.
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