The Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) live and thrive in an unforgiving environment of heat and drought, having evolved to maintain their impressive stature in a land of extremes.
Guide to Saguaro
The Saguaro Cactus
Their flowers provide nectar to bats, bees, moths and white-winged doves who return the favor by pollinating surrounding cactuses. They stand silently during times of incredible struggle, surrounded by hungry and thirsty creatures such as ants, birds, coyote, fox, javelina, and various rodents who seek to survive here also. These creatures feast on the fruits provided by the succulent cactus during the summer months of June and July, when the untold heat of day dictates that such desert dwellers only come out at night.
A Cozy Home
The mighty Saguaro also provides a suitable home for small airborne fowl such as Gila woodpeckers and gilded flickers, who drill small one-room holes in the walls of the cactus that eventually accommodate a family. These birds enjoy the protection of the spiny needles that protrude from the cactus’ trunk and the insulation provided by its thick spongy flesh that acts as a form of climate control. The inner realm of a Saguaro is 20 degrees F cooler in summer and 20 degrees warmer in winter than the ambient outside temperature.
Larger fowl also find homes in the heights of the cactuses. Red-tailed and Harris hawks build nests in the joints of the Saguaro’s upward reaching arms. From here, such birds of prey obtain a nice view of the surrounding terrain and thus gain significant advantage over scurrying prey.
A Whole Lotta Cactus
These cactuses slowly grow to be incredibly large. Although a young Saguaro may only grow to be 2 inches tall after a decade, and not acquire arms until the age of 50-70, it can grow to be more than 50 feet in height. The largest come in around 60 feet tall and can weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 16,000 pounds, or 8 tons!
Over the course of their lives, which may last up to 200 years, these cactuses can produce more than 40 million seeds, which are no larger than a pinhead. These seeds are favorite snacks of birds and rodents, so it is fitting that the cactuses provide a great number in order to facilitate the replenishment of the species.
Got Water?
All of this is only possible with adequate water in an area that may go months without rain, yet may seem drier than it actually is. This area of the Sonoran Desert receives biseasonal rainfalls that support an unusually vegetated desert. The Saguaro itself needs a fair amount of water, and it can get it.
Its woody roots extend up to 50 feet outward and these things can absorb up to 200 gallons of water in a single rainstorm. This amount of water can last the cactus up to a year, taking it through any unforeseen droughts that may occur. This area appears a perfect home, as Saguaro National Park is home to an estimated 1.6 million of its namesake cactus.
Guide to Saguaro
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