Stately Saguaros

Tucson is the home of the saguaro! They grow more densely and larger in this area than almost anywhere else. The saguaro normally blooms in May or early June, but there are a few late flowers around; the recent rainfall probably helps. The saguaro is Arizona's state flower.

I may have blogged a picture like this last winter, but the ridges, valleys, and spines of a saguaro up close are surreal. There's a picture similar to this one in my hotel room at the Westward Look; but this is my own photo. The desert around Tucson is a paradise for nature photographers!