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We sandwiched our drive through the Saguaro National Park between visits to the Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson and the Arizona Science Center in Phoenix. It was a must-see on our list of things to do in Arizona, and it was well worth the stop.
We began with the Junior Ranger Program at the Visitor Center. When you do them right, the booklets can take some time to complete. These were informative books that included watching for wildlife and estimating the age of cacti outside and culling information from exhibits and hands-on displays inside.
A little hotter than comfortable for a hike, we opted for the 6 mile scenic Bajada Loop Drive in Saguaro West. The road was not paved, but easily passable. The kids were excited, as they generally are with anything that even remotely resembles off-roading.
We were hoping to see some wildlife going on the back roads. We did see the cactus wren, Arizona's state bird, and plenty of lizards. Unfortunately, the only snake we saw was a rattler with a tire tread across his back.
So, how to guess the age of a saguaro. Guessing the age of a saguaro is a bit like estimating the years of a woman who demures. That is we can only make an educated guess based on what we know to be true about the aging process.
The boys did learn some generally accepted facts through the Junior Ranger Program and doing on-line research. Though saguaros are found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert where there is 10" of rain a year, growth varies based on water and temperature.
- A 10-year old saguaro can be about 1 1/2" tall, the size of your thumb!
- 20-year old saguaro -> 1' tall
- 30-year old saguaro ->2' tall
- 40-year old saguaro -> 4' tall
- 50-year old saguaro -> 7' tall
- 75-year old saguaro -> up to 16' tall
- 100-year old saguaro -> up to 25' tall
A saguaro is at least 40 in order to blossom and does so at the average age of 55.
A saguaro grows arms between 50 and 100 years old, with the average age of 70. That makes this saguaro in all likelihood at least 75 years old. It was around in the 1930's when you could rent a house for $27 a month, the cost of gas was 10 cents a gallon (one cent more than a loaf of bread), and when Seabiscuit reigned as horse supreme.
We guessed that big guy at the top with four long arms and three short arms to be upwards of 100, close to 150. it would have been a prickly baby around the time of the Civil War.
To find out more about Saguaro National Park, visit their website.
To find out more about Saguaro National Park, visit their website.
Wow! Those saguaros certainly have seen some things in their time!
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to imagine what was going on in the world when they were just prickly babes. :)
DeleteWow, those are gorgeous! I know that many are poached and it's a big problem. They sell for $1,000's on the black market. You are lucky to see such big ones. Very cool. Nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteThey are gorgeous! I didn't know about the poaching problem. :( I guess it is not surprising though. They are dramatic and unique.
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ReplyDeleteThey must be stubbornly hardy to be able to get to 50 years old...once they hit 50 though, watch out! Tougher to mess with at 7' and growing!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to imagine them pushing through when it takes 10 years just to be 1 1/2 inches tall. Good thing there is not much traffic in the desert!
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