good-times-rollin: saguaro

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

A Walk Through A Saguaro Forest

Tucson/Lazydays KOA
Tucson, AZ
February 19, 2016

Joe and I have done quite a few desert hikes in the past few years. It was love at first sight when we arrived in Tucson back in January 2013 and I saw saguaro cacti for the first time up close and personal. The desert has since had a draw for us that some will understand and others can't figure out.

The hike we did last Friday with John and Pam was one of the prettiest saguaro forests we have had the pleasure of hiking. Absolutely amazing how dense the forest is there...

We did a lollipop trail with the stick being a combination of switchbacks and an easy climb on the Camaro Loop Trail that connects to Boulder Belt Trail, the saddle section. The lollipop/loop portion is the Flight Path Trail.

Right from the get go, we saw colors that we didn't see the week before.

Could it be that spring is not far away?

The Globe Mallow is just beginning to bloom...look at all those buds.

A hint of purple from the Wild Hyacinth is always nice...

...along with the shades of pink from from the Fairy Duster.

The flowers on this low growing shrub attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

And one more, the pale yellow of the Desert Rose Mallow. It's a delicate little flower on a weak stem so it usually grows up through other plants for support.

One thing Pam and I totally agree on and enjoy when hiking in the desert are the views...in all directions!

Feb. 19, 2016...crested #1

Just like our other hike with Pam and John, we knew we would be in for a treat because not 1, but 3 crested saguaro could be seen on this hike with all of them being right next to the trail.

Sometimes a saguaro produces a fan-shaped form of growth at the tip. These growths are referred to as a cresting (or cristate) and are rare occurrences.

crested #2

When you consider how slowly a saguaro grows (a 10 year old plant will be about 1.5 inches tall) the crested ones we have seen must be many years old.