I’m a huge fan of adventure, much like the great Bilbo Baggins, who loved adventure despite his claims to the contrary. I love to see thrilling new places, whether through movies, novels, travel, or my own writing. My recent trip to Arizona definitely fit the bill. It felt like a strange planet, complete with aliens—my inlaws. (Just kidding, Matt’s family’s awesome!) Really, it’s the plants that look like they belong in a sci-fi horror flick.
Saguaro Cactus
I met these monsters in Tucson, where they stretch toward the sky, their arms twisted like contortionists on a stage. They can grow to 70 feet tall, bigger than most buildings in my town. But they are slooooooow growers, forming their first arm when they’re about a hundred years old. When it rains, the cacti soak up so much water that you can actually see them swell. Pretty amazing.
In Arizona, it’s against the law to cut down or harm a saguaro in any way, with few exceptions. The iconic cacti provide homes for birds including Gila woodpeckers and elf owls. Note the holes in the picture below. After the birds create their home, the cactus seals the wound with a thick callus called a saguaro boot.
Bird holes pit most Saguaro Cacti
Some birds use the same nest year after year while others create new holes each season, leaving the abandoned ones for other birds. If we had a saguaro, I’m certain my kids would follow the lead of the natives who used the holes for storage. I mean, my sons hide tiny dinosaurs in our Christmas trees. Why not use a cactus to squirrel away treasures? There’s the spines, of course, but with a big enough hole (pre-existing, of course—no drilling saguaros!!), the prickly needles wouldn’t be a problem.
This Saguaro Cactus bears several large holes
Close-up of the largest hole.
In the past, when I’ve thought of majestic plants and stunning landscapes, the Sonoran Desert never would’ve come to my mind. But now that I’ve been there and seen it, I must admit, set against the backdrop of distant stone mountains, the slow-growing cacti do have a sort of majesty, a quiet determination that enables them to grow millimeter by millimeter across centuries, thriving amid blowing sand and scorching heat.
Stunning mountain and desert scenery are easy to find in Tucson.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro
How would you like having a saguaro cactus in your back yard? If you did, what would you hide in it? What are some of your favorite adventure experiences?
