This East Coast gal has learned a lot about the states of New Mexico and Arizona. One of the things I’ve learned about in my many many trips out there is, this is a Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) and it is only native to southern Arizona and western Sonora, Mexico (old Mexico – not New Mexico). No wild specimens of Saguaro have been found in Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Utah, or in northern Arizona.
But the biggest surprise to me is that these intriguing cacti BLOOM! In the picture above the flowers are a bit hard to see, but look closely and you’ll see flowers and buds on the top of each of the arms. Blooming in May.
And here a closeup of the flowers which are pollinated by insects, birds and bats. What an amazing thing to discover.
After I figure out all the plants here in Virginia, I’ll have to go back out to the Southwest and investigate the plants (and animals) out there.
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