Dear Jake & Amelia,

We are in the desert again, this time the Sonoran Desert. Just northwest of Tucson, in Saguaro National Park, we found a forest of majestic saguaro cacti in bloom. These giants of the desert can reach heights of up to 50 feet, but not until they are150 or more years old.  They must survive 75 years before  sprouting their first branches, the arms that give them their characteristic personality. 

We learned that the cacti bloom for about 4 weeks a year. The timing depends on the seasonal rainfall. The end of each arm holds a nosegay of white flowers. Each individual flower opens during the night and withers in the heat of following day. 

Nancy & Peter

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