Survive And Thrive, A Saguaro In Winter

The giant saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is the iconic symbol of the desert Southwest, even though it only occurs in a narrow elevation range... more

by Douglas Taylor

Title

Survive And Thrive, A Saguaro In Winter

Artist

Douglas Taylor

Medium

Photograph - Fine Art Digital Photography

Description

The giant saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is the iconic symbol of the desert Southwest, even though it only occurs in a narrow elevation range here in the Sonoran Desert. This columnar cactus is the namesake of Saguaro National Park which borders both the eastern and western boundaries of Tucson, Arizona.

Saguaro are a simply wondrous plant. Standing alongside this particular specimen, I could barely reach up to touch the base of its lowest arm, right at eight feet above the ground, and its total height is just over 36 feet tall. With four long arms and three newer arms just starting out, this plant is likely over a century in age. And it appears to be very healthy and thriving, no small feat in the face of the dangers it has recently faced due to both storms and drought.

The first quarter of the 21st century will long be remembered in the desert Southwest as the great drought, culminating with the 2020 summer monsoon season failing to bring rain to the parched desert. Fortunately, the following year brought the wettest July on record to Tucson, and the saguaro cactus is well adapted to take advantage of that bountiful rain. In that one month it was able to take in enough water to survive for years. So much water that this gentle giant probably weighs between 5 and 6 tons!

Yet more danger lay ahead for this and thousands of other saguaros nearby in the form of a ferocious monsoon thunderstorm on August 21st, 2023. Saguaro National Park suffered a large swath of these giants simply uprooted and blown down by the extreme winds. Others, including many in the vicinity of this particular cactus had their tops blown off, generally the top 8 to 12 feet. But this example has survived all that unscathed, and is remarkably fit, healthy and plump with moisture on this warm January afternoon.

Uploaded

January 21st, 2024