Yesterday afternoon I posted a photo in WPC:  Textures titled,  Any Guesses?    Guesses, about this photo are usually a consensus of the same opinion: driftwood.   I thought the same thing, but I was standing in the desert.  The woody skeleton of the Carnegiea gigantea looks and feels like driftwood and is found in the Sonoran Desert; only the Sonoran Desert, Arizona.

fullsizeoutput_23a6These Saguaro are primarily water, even though their wooden interior might make you question that. Their shallow roots allow them to capture the tiniest moisture in the air, and the accordion- like structure allows them to expand and contract according to the water it takes in. They can weigh up to 6 tons.  It is illegal to remove the live plants or their skeletons, as they provide a protection and another ecosystem in the harshest of summers. DSC_0397Spines are the leaves of the plant and a casual reminder that this is another look and don’t touch adventure, unless you are a Great- Horned Owl mama.

fullsizeoutput_2009They can grow to 50 feet, and they grow their first arm when they are 70.  70! It’s funny to  think they are not considered adults until they are about 125 years.

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The gentleman in the photo is 6’2″ tall.

The flower is three inches in diameter,  produces juicy, red fruit, and is appropriately selected as the Arizona state flower.

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Still casually wandering around this beautiful place I also call…fullsizeoutput_d45

…home.

The Daily Post: Casual