Family in the mist

Mists were rolling off the Superstition Mountains on our first visit in 2003.

Bright horizon

Saguaro National Park overlook.

Put 'em up

Sun and shadow play on the mountains beyond this Saguaro, which appears to be wearing a crown.

Balmy

Passing clouds soften the hues in the desert at the foot of the Superstition Mountains.

Long view

Clear skies and backlit cacti in the Sonoran Desert.

Atmosphere series

The next few days will feature vistas with cacti. While the sun often blazes in blue skies over the desert, the clouds add  beautiful dimension when they come in. And there's nothing quite like the lightning and dust storms that accompany the late-summer monsoons. There was a taste of the atmospheric effects in Wednesday's photograph.

Old bones

Nora and Aidan examine a Saguaro skeleton. February 2003.

Don't stand so close to me

Tucson, Arizona, on an overcast day

Tumultuous

The first time I saw Saguaro country, these turbulent clouds were washing over the Superstition Mountains. I've been drawn to the Sonoran Desert ever since.

In captivity

Dwarf Chin cactus at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. It reminds me of one I have growing on my windowsill.

Change of scene

Thornless Blue Cactus at the botanical garden in Athens, Georgia.

Unbending

Morning light on a single Saguaro.

Towering

Cacti loom along a path at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

Desert oasis

Water management is, of course, a big issue out West. This desert scene is near the shore of Bartlett Reservoir, near Cave Creek. The canals that feed the Greater Phoenix area are built upon the remains of a system built by the Hohokam beginning more than 2000 years ago.

Unadorned

A simple cholla cactus -- New Mexico.

Variety

Three lovely specimens: Prickly Pear, Saguaro, cholla

Looking back

Here's young Aidan on a cactus-studded slope in Superstition Wilderness.

Rugged

Aidan relaxes against a Saguaro trunk, apparently undaunted by its tough coat. Photo by Bob Connolly. This marks the end of Bob's series of shots from Saguaro National Park. Thanks for some great material. Tomorrow: Aidan in earlier days.

Subtle verdure

Lovely patterns of light, bristles and spots on a Prickly Pear. Photo by Bob Connolly.

Join the crowd

An inviting specimen. Photo by Bob Connolly.

Octo-Saguaro

Looks as though the main trunk of this Saguaro met with disaster, but it survived by growing a handful of new appendages. Photo by Bob Connolly.

Audacious

I love how Bob so often captures his Saguaros in a heroic stance. Photo by Bob Connolly

Beeds & bristles

Closeup of a cholla. Photo by Bob Connolly

Spiked and pleated

The posture and appenditures of each Saguaro give it a personality, but even the skin/bark can differ on each specimen. Compare the complexions: mottled, smooth, yellow. Photo by Bob Connolly.

The Spice of Life

Some fresh new photos from Bob, who was in Tucson last week.  Cholla varieties, barrel and Prickly Pear cacti are abundant here in the Saguaro National Park, west of Tucson, as are the park's namesake cacti. Photo courtesy of Bob Connolly.

Twin peaks

A two-pronged Saguaro

Sharps

Closeup of a Prickly Pear and its fearsome barbs.

Red Rock "garden"

A Prickly Pear is set off nicely in this garden-like scene along a hiking trail in Sedona, Az.

Competition

Here we see a red hook cactus thriving in the middle of its struggling nurse plant.

Close encounter

This Palo Verde tree is infringing on the Saguaro's territory, and may not survive much longer, as the cactus is likely to leach all the moisture and nutrients from the soil.