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Arizona Wild Bird Photos
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The mighty Saguaro Cactus

It is said, that the Saguaro is the tallest of all cactus. Some have said it to be in excess of 50 feet tall. If you get the chance to view the Saguaro before and after a rain, you will see a very interesting happening. As the roots of the Saguaro soak up the ground water, the cactus will actually swell up. You can see this by looking at the pleats, or accordion like ribs before it rains and after.

It takes many years for the arms on the Saguaro start to grow. Some say 10 to 20, other say 30 to 40. The average Saguaro will bloom after it is approximately 50 years old. This occurs in May. As I will show you, the flowers are very large and white.

Range is south central Arizona in the Tucson area. How long do they live? I don't know, but I have been viewing some now for over 60 years and they seem to be quite healthy and still growing.

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Please take a moment to look at these two photos. Most all Saguaros that I have seen, start out this way. They are always protected by other plants or trees. For those of you who may not know what a young Saguaro looks like, I have put an arrow in the photo pointing to the Saguaro. Also if your not familiar with the pronunciation of the name Saguaro, it is pronounced as follows. Sa-war-o. I would guess that these three Saguaros we are looking at are at least 10 years old.

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