Cactus Flowers For The Madman

Mud pies one day, Organ Pipes and desert sunsets the next. Finally, a real road trip – of course, we had to fly first. But we went to the desert to check out the cacti – more specifically, the cactus flowers.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

A drive through the Sonoran Desert brought us to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Tucked away in a small section of Arizona just north of Mexico, Organ Pipe is the northern most range of Stenocereus thurberi. The madman wanted to visit this National Monument because it is the only place this cactus species grows wild in the United States.

Two plant communities, the lower Colorado Valley and Arizona Upland, merge in the park. The merger offers a contrast between dry desert plants and those preferring slightly more moisture. Although it is often referred to as a green desert, it was pretty dry there. Thanks to a delayed flight, we only had time for a sunset drive and a morning hike.

Impressive Cactus

But we saw lots of Organ Pipe cactus. As you can imagine, this cactus resembles the straight tall pipes of a church organ.  And because it is frost sensitive, it grows mostly on desert slopes where temperatures stay above freezing. The plant takes 150 years to reach maturity. At age 35, it starts to bloom – white blossoms that open at night to attract our friends the bats. Although lots of other species of cacti were blooming away, the Organ Pipe buds had not yet begun to open. But we didn’t care, just walking among these cacti was quite humbling.

With a beautiful hike behind us, we headed out to Tucson. The madman had planned a quick stop at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Unfortunately, the only road up to the observatory is still closed following damage by the Contreras Fire of last year. So, we counted cactus and drove on through the Sonoran Desert. If you see Saguaros (Carnegiea gigantean), you know you are in the Sonoran Desert. That’s the only place they grow wild.

Image of the West

Thanks to Hollywood, the Saguaro Cactus pretty much defines the West. Especially for those of us who grew up with Gunsmoke and Rawhide. The madman is quite fascinated with this plant. Although it is slow growing, it can reach a height of over 40’. And it can live for more than 150 years.

The arms that fascinate the madman don’t appear until the Saguaro is around 70 years old. In some cases, the plant doesn’t sprout arms. Scientists call this type of growth a spear, but don’t know why some plants never sprout the arms. The arms are a way for the plant to increase flowering, thus producing more fruit and seeds. After all, it is a keystone species of the Sonoran Desert, supporting a variety of wildlife from birds to bats, from humans to javelina. Full size Saguaros love the full sun. But seedlings require the shade and protection of a nurse plant like Creosote Bush or Palo Verde to get established.

A central three-foot taproot anchors the Saguaro in place with the help of a shallow root network that spreads out as far as the cactus is tall. Thanks to the root system, the Saguaro can collect and store lots of water during the rainy season.

Ancestors Walk The Deserts

Native Americans believe that the Saguaro cacti are really the spirits of their ancestors. Admiring these cacti from a distance, especially around the sunset, we could actually imagine people strolling peacefully through the desert.

Our stay in Tucson was like a dream come true for the madman. Our charming casita was landscaped with a wide-ranging collection of cacti and succulents, more than the madman had ever seen in a private garden. And, when we went to Saguaro National Park, we found that its 175 miles of hiking trails would provide all the cactus-viewing we needed. The park has two separate districts – the Rincon Mountain District east of Tucson and the Tucson Mountain District to the west. Thanks to a difference in elevation and rainfall, each park is unique, and both are totally fascinating. Because of the higher elevation of the Rincon Mountains, hiking trails pass through the Saguaro Forest and enter woodlands of scrub oak and pine, once again the green desert.

Hiking In The Cactus Forests

Our days were so full of hikes in the Saguaro Forests we didn’t want to do much else. On top of the amazing scenery, we found that people we met were friendlier than in previous adventures. We don’t know if that’s a result of the long COVID lockdown or not, but it was wonderful. We started by meeting a birdwatching couple at the airport in Connecticut. It seems that we met interesting people from then on. On a hike to see petroglyphs, we spent time with a retired Nova Scotian lobsterman and his family. We met a park volunteer looking for invasive plants in the Rincon area (they have their invasive problems, too). Our trip was dotted with experiences like this, but the most fun was our chance meeting with Jasmine the donkey and her owner Leigh Anne. We still smile when we think of them.

A Museum In The Desert

While in Tucson we did have to visit The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. Remember, we went to Arizona to look at plants, and this museum has over 50,000 specimens of more than 1200 species of plants from all over. The madman was in his glory because these were all labeled, and many were blooming. I was in my glory because the museum also contains a variety of animals from the Sonoran Desert. I finally got to see a Javelina.

After days of hiking in the desert, we had to move on. Of course, the madman had to see if he could return home with a desert cactus, so we stopped at B&B Cactus farm. He nearly short circuited when he saw the many greenhouses full of all types of cacti for sale. Fortunately for me, they would not ship to Connecticut so he could only bring home pictures. The Saguaro cactus were selling for $150 per inch, and he had his eye on a five-footer. You can do the math as well as I did – I love the picture.

Heading North

Our trip didn’t end in Tucson; we continued on to Petrified Forest National Park and Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Then we returned to Phoenix to visit relatives and a few more botanical gardens. But those are stories for a future blog.

We are home now. A hummingbird greeted us on our first morning back. Guess it is sugar nectar for the hummingbirds and lemonade for the madman.