Pincushion cactus

As the name implies, the pincushion cactus is small. This specimen, photographed in Tucson, Arizona, is about to burst into bloom.

Saguaro in bloom

Yes, they even have flowers. The first time I saw a Saguaro bloom was in April 2004 when the temperature hit 100 degrees on our final day in Scottsdale before heading back to Boston. This photograph was taken in June 2005.

Greetings from Arizona, ca. 2003

Aidan and Nora pose postcard-style on our first trip to the Sonoran Desert, February 2003. Photographed at the foot of the Superstition Mountains.

Season of light

Three amigos

I'm starting with an overview of a favorite cactus: the Saguaro. Here a pair of older cacti are to the left, with a young -- as yet "armless" -- specimen to the right. However, it takes more than 50 years for a saguaro to develop arms, so this specimen could be 30 years old or more. These sentinels of the desert live about 200 years. They grow only in the Sonoran Desert of northern Mexico, southwestern Arizona and southeastern California. These three guys are in Tucson, Arizona.