We went to the valley yesterday with our camera. We went to take cactus pictures. The saguaro cactus grows only in the Sonoran Deserts of Arizona and Mexico. A few may be in New Mexico and California but the majority are in Arizona. They will grow straight for approximately 50 years before they get an arm. They have shallow roots so are easily blown over and they are now moved for landscaping purposes. Over the years people have shot them full of holes, ran them down with ATV's or Jeeps, etc and just destroyed them for fun. Sometimes the cactus fought back and a few people have been killed when the cactus fell on them. They are really heavyweights. Picture one was taken on New River Road. It has been there for approx. 300 yrs. They amount of arms tell the age fairly well. Pictures two and three are of a cactus that has been moved to landscape a shopping mall but you can see the arms well. The holes were made by the cactus wren who hollows out a space and builds nests. Small owls and woodpeckers also use them as homes. Dooley
I wish it was possible for Texas to have them I've always loved this Cactus .I hate that people destroy such beautiful plant.Dooley thank you so much for sharing these beauties.You and DR are a joy with that camera.
DR and Dan are good with the camera. I get more blurry pictures than not. DR took the highway pictures out the front window of the truck. We were doing 75 mph. Dooley
I am not a cactus fan, but those are spectacular. Can you even imagine that anyone would shoot a plant?? Not picture shoot, gun shoot.
Now THOSE are fantastic specimens! The arms look quite fragile but I'm sure they are bolted on there. It's quite amazing how they are able to transplant them as well. I would have guessed that moving something that mature would be a very stressful experience for it. Thank you for the photos Dooley, I may never see one up close but photos like this make up for that :
I can see why birds would want to build their nests inside the arms and trunks of those cacti - great protection I would imagine from preditors. Really spectacular plants. I wonder what tales a 300 year old cactus could tell?
Thanks for the great pictures Dooley. I've never seen a cactus that big. Why in the world do people want to destroy things. Shooting cactus -- it's a shame they can't find anything better to do than destroy things!
Around 1979 I saw my first one close up at a rest area just north of Phoenix. It was massive, and sort of scary.
Splendid! Just plain Splendid! Thanks indeed for sharing these pictures! I've always been fascinated by these giant Cactus, I think it's partly due to the fact that I grew up on Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons! Such people (as you yourself have put it) can't find anything better to do with their time... In my personal opinion, the tendency for vandalism arises from a near total lack of a sense of heritage... Now exactly why more and more people are turning out this way today, is a question I myself have wondered about for many years now... I mean to hurt a plant/tree which is already on the endangered list - It's plain disgusting (aside from being totally stupid).
Amazing to see the size in contrast to a person,..and such an age,..i never knew they could be so old,..very interesting pictures.
