Pronounced Sah-Wha’-Roh, this beautiful cactus is probably the
most recognized symbol of the American southwest (along with the
rattle-snake). Native to the Sonoran Desert, the saguaro often
grows in ‘forests’ like the one seen above. It’s a slow-growing
critter. Night-blooming flowers form in bunches on the tops of
the arms from April through June, and the resultant red fruit
produces seeds to make more little saguaros. The flowers (the
saguaro is the State Flower of Arizona) are pollinated mostly by
bats, and often stay open into the morning hours. The first arms
don’t form on a saguaro until the plant is about seventy years
old, so when you see a big one with a lot of arms, you know it’s
old. They can live for one hundred fifty years or more. Saguaro
babies like to begin their lives in the shade of nearby shrubs
which give them protection from passing animals. Once they’re
old enough they’ll put out their first stubby little arms: And
if they’re lucky and get enough water and nutrients over the
years, they