“If you wanna survive in DESERT, drink and drink water and “Hug CACTI “ I read that ad when I was in Tucson. It was some kind of advertisement with humor for foreign students who come in AZ for the first time. It was so heating and too dry on June and July, so everybody told us to DRINK and DRINK water as much as possible to survive in the heart of desert. “Hugging cactuses” of course it was a joke. I was surprised when I visited in the “Sonora Desert Museum” because I had never imagined those huge cacti before. I only saw the little one that someone plants at home or in an office in my country. Therefore, I thought; I should learn at least three names of them. If you visit this site Desert Biomes by DesertUSA, you will see how many interesting cactuses are there. “Barrel” cactus; its flowers always grow at the top of the plant. They bear no spines and only a few scales.
There is another cactus, which is called “Beavertail Cactus-Opuntia basilaris” Brilliant red-to-lavender flowers 2 to 3 inches wide with many petals bloom March to June. It is beautiful.
The “ Saguaro.” The largest one is estimated to be 200 years old and can reach heights of 15-50 feet. People bring it from desert to home by illegally in order to plant into their garden. “Organ Pipe” cactus, and the second largest cactus in USA. You will see it when you visit Sonora desert. It has fruit, and it was a food source for Native Americans as well.
Chinkhand
Thanks for sharing! WHAT IS YOU FAVORITE SEA OR MOUNTAIN OR DESERT?
ALAUDDIN
The Herd Museum is also a great resource to see some “Arizona culture.” There’s a pop-art exhibition about Native American art there right now and once Sherman Alexie, who is a great Native American writer, did a reading there.