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| Sorry folks for the amount of cacti pics but they are so photogenic ....... Yup 'tis me in this one to show the height (no comments please I'm 5ft 4and the all important half !!) and majesty of these incredible saguaro cactus.... We are in Saguaro National Park East (area 91,440 acres) there is also SNP West with Tucson sitting in the middle. The Parks were established in 1933 to protect the saguaro, one of the great icons of the American West, it is the only place in Arizona or the USA where these cacti grow......... |
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| There are many species of cacti in the park apart from the saguaro, this fellow has some pretty blooms/flowers... |
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| A woodpecker at the top of a saguaro......they drill holes and make nests in the trunks of the cacti, the woodpeckers make a new nest each year, the old ones being taken over by cactus wrens, elf owls, mice and other desert creatures...... |
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| Monument Wash....... there are many washes due the very heavy summer rains..... |
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| The Park has an 8.5 one way drive to the various overlooks and trail heads....... |
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| We stop at the Loma Verde Trailhead and hike the 2 hour, 3 & half mile loop trail, mostly sand trail, some rocks and slight elevation, it's so quiet and peaceful beautiful views across the valley of the suburbs of Tucson to the mountains on one side and the park and mountains on the other sides, a few other folk on the trails, some horse back riders but mainly just us...... |
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| Saguaros grow slowly and take 50-70 years to reach 6 ft.....they can grow to 50 feet |
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| Lunch break at the Javelina Picnic area, again very quiet and peaceful,......we have all sorts of visitors to our picnic table and no we DID NOT feed them...... |
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| A beautiful Red Cardinal.... |
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| A Gila Woodpecker |
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| Several of these small thrush like chaps who stay mostly on the ground.... |
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| Have not yet discovered what bird this is......... |
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| More variety of cacti |
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| Very rarely one of the saguaro grow in this misshapen way, the cause is unknown but it is felt that damage to the growing tip causes a fanlike growth, this Crested or cristate saguaro is thought to occur once every 200,000 plants We have had a fabulous day rounded off by a bit of retail therapy in Bed Bath and Beyond there happens to be one about 3 miles from the park and I wanted to get some bits to take back to UK....... Tomorrow Tombstone...watch this space..... |
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