Thursday, September 27, 2012

If a Saguaro falls in the desert, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?


Last October, when we vacationed in the Desert SW, our final stop before getting on the plane was the Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix, conveniently located right by the airport. For Andrew it was a chance to have one more look at the historic cultures of the area. And for me, one last look at the desert flora.

Doesn’t this Opuntia look thirsty?

Something unfortunate appears to have happened here…

Doesn’t seem to have slowed it down much though.

If I lived in the desert I would definitely have an Ocotillo fence…

A Saguaro with reconstructed Hohokam structures in the background.

Which brings me to the title of this post…

We were surprised to see a Saguaro lying on its side. Due to the crusty looking; burnt-out end we thought maybe lighting had hit it (there had been a lightening storm just the night before, cancelling my nephews little league game)

Turns out the folks running the museum didn’t even know it had fallen over until a visitor went into tell them. They figure it must happened during the night.

They think it had been diseased for quite some time and just finally couldn’t stand up any longer, it was interesting to see.

Chainfruit Cholla…

Can you see the chains?

Brittle bush, Encelia farinose

And my last Agave of the two week vacation, I’m getting all misty eyed just thinking about it…

Luckily there’s a trip to Phoenix in the works sometime early in the New Year so I’ll be able to stock up on my desert plant energy, and who knows…maybe find a few new friends to bring home!

22 comments:

  1. I hear your love for the desert here. Each place has its charm:) It's hard for me to watch a Saguaro fall in the landscape. Sometimes it's lightening and sometimes it's overwatering....which if you can believe, some homeowners do on purpose. It's illegal to remove one from you property without proper permits. So homeowners sometimes intentionally or unintentionally(the latter being the big one) kill their Saguaro. And mostly due to placing a drip line to close. That particular Saguaro was over 100 years old....very sad to see.

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    1. What?!? People purposefully kill a Saguaro? That is horrible!

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  2. Every time I see a Cholla I think "why isn't Loree growing these?", as they look to be about as dangerous as just about anything I've ever seen.

    LOVE wrinkled Opuntia image #2!

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    1. I do have 3 Cylindropuntia, which are kind of Cholla. I wish I had a Teddy Bear Cholla but I don't recall ever even seeing one for sale.

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  3. Chainfruit cholla is cool! Poor Saguaro. I suppose if it fell on something, you might hear the scream from quite a distance!

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    1. Oh god, can you imagine? That would be horrid!

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  4. Perhaps you could settle for a fence of Poncirus trifoliata? You would think nothing could get through a fence like that, but I hear that deer persist in crashing through the 'Flying Dragon' hedgerows back east, even though they emerge with shredded hides. The ocotillo fence is very cool looking.

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    1. Ah just found your comment in my spam filter! I like the idea actually, when the leaves are on it could look deceptively kind but come winter SPIKES!

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  5. Wow, that saguaro looks rotted out. I wonder what happened?

    I like chollas from a distance but I would never grow one. I'm too afraid of those spines :-).

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    1. Ah come on Gerhard! Where is your spiky spirit?

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  6. Amen. I wish as many SW residents heard the sound of a fallen saguaro or even a tree yucca or barrel, that hear it in Cascadia! Overwatering...I'm starting to shake...

    Seriously, chainfruit chollas are something, but of course, the most vicious of all chollas are teddy bear chollas...hooked spines. And they roll all over the ground, seeming attracted to shoes, calves, etc. But those ocotillo fences really are something - I see a few failed attempts in NM and El Paso, but the lower desert does it to the nines. I must try it again with a better client, this time.

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    1. I remember very clearly my first encounter with a jumping Cholla, ouch! Oh to grow Barrel Cactus! What a happy girl I would be.....

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  7. I do wonder how long it will stay looking 'green' if left as it is for quite some time??

    Love the wrinkly opuntia photo! You don't normally associate Opuntias being thirsty.

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    1. Good question, I wish I could remember if the fellow inside the museum had said how long it had been lying there.

      My brothers Agaves looked just as thirsty as that Opuntia, when we were there last fall it hadn't rained for quite sometime and had been hot!

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  8. Ocotillo fence ... Yes, please!

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  9. stunning! just what I needed to warm my desert loving hear!

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  10. While in Arizona years ago, I read about some idiot shooting at a Saguaro for target practice. It fell over on top of him and killed him. I guess they are heavy with a lot of water.

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    1. I shouldn't admit this but your story kind of make me smile, revenge of the spiky plants!

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    2. I found the story:
      http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/saguaro.asp
      -Ray

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    3. Thank you, I enjoyed reading that!

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