Tucson – The Old Pueblo City

With more than 350 days of sunshine a year, residents and visitors enjoy a great variety of outdoor activities, especially during the cooler months of winter. Today, Thursday Feb 15 is the first day that it has rained in 6 months and rain is expected to continue through tomorrow. The local residents are very happy about this rain even though only about 1 inch is expected.

 

Saguaro National Park

The two sections of the Saguaro National Park located east and west of Tucson preserve part of the huge Sonoran Desert, which stretches from Colorado into Mexico.

Saguaro Cactus
The saguaro cactus meaning “giant cactus” in Latin, grow only in the Sonoran Desert. They grow very slowly, taking 70 years before they sprout arms and then reach full height of 40 - 50 feet in about 150 years. However, when we asked a park naturalist how the age of a saguaro was determined she replied “We guess.”

 

Many arms

During its lifetime each saguaro produces about 40,000,000 seeds which feed a variety of desert birds and animals. Only one of these seeds will germinate to produce another plant. Seedlings have the best chance of survival when sheltered by a “nurse tree” such as a Palo Verde.

Birds find not just food in the saguaros but homes as well.

    
Palo Verde nurse tree                                                  Apartments for birds

 For an unknown reason a very few saguaro produce a beautiful “crested crown”.

   
Crested crown

Long woody ribs support their multi-ton bulk. Spines shade the plant, shield it from drying winds and discourage damage from animals.

     
Skeletal ribs                                                                      Long, sharp needles

 Although forests of saguaro cactus dominate the Sonoran desert, there are numerous other types of cactus including the cholla (chȯi-yə), prickly pear, ocotillo, and barrel.

   Barrel fruit                                                                          Fishhook needles

   Long, sharp needles                                                                      Staghorn cholla

   Purple prickly pear                                                                Fruit chain cholla

 

Hiking in the Sonoran Desert

 The Saguaro National Park has over 125 mile of hiking trails in the two sections. Hikers are warned to watch out for prickly plants and venomous animal. We have been able to avoid both.

     Hiking in the desert                                              Rocky point on Mt. Lemmon

 There are many other hiking area near Tucson. We especially favor the mountain views and rocky terrain in the Sabino Recreation Area.

    Bear Canyon                                                              Time for a short rest

 

Mount Lemmon at 9157 feet, dominates the Catalina Mountains east of Tucson. A long, steep drive to the top ends at the only local ski area, Ski Valley.

 

Waiting for snow

 

We have several more hikes planned for both the Saguaro National Park and Sabino Canyon but will wait now for the rain to stop and the dangerous, flooded mountain washes to subside.

 

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