(Joel Smith's Photos Of Cacti And The Arizona Desert - August 18, 2008)
It was a fantastic morning in the industrial section of Pima County.
The TCSS Rescue crew is at it again early on a Saturday morning while other folks are nursing hangovers.
It was a busy morning for me. I found two large
saguaros almost off of the bat. One was about 4-5 feet tall and the other 6-7 feet. Both were heavy! They have really drank in the water from the rains.
If I were to guess the ages, I'd range them from between 50-70 years old. They were growing
long before I was born and they will still be growing long after I'm dead and gone.
Echinocereus or hedgehog in the prickly pear.
A large saguaro saved for the developer.
The desert floor.
A new cholla growth on a rotting hulk.
Prickly pear fruit.
We were years too late for some!
The desert floor is always a joy to be in.
The colors, the quiet, the beauty and the life that it teems, I always cherish.
It pains me that so much land is being bladed for new developments and such.
The influx of newcomers shows little sign of slowing down.
When they move into their brand new neighborhoods, I always wonder if they ever think about what was there before.
Some do come to love the desert and its ways, while others seem to hate it with a passion.
Quite often on the rescues, I kind of feel like an omen of doom, but that quickly passes.
The blading would happen regardless if we were rescuing cacti or not. It's just good that there are viable alternatives to the
mulch pile for so many cacti.
Most of these were sold at the Bloomin' Barrel Sale at 4342 N. 4th Ave. in Tucson. (Between Stone and First Ave.) There are many happy owners of these fellows!
One last cactus photo. This is one of the ugliest
barrels that I have ever seen!
Blooms
An assortment of cactus blooms.
These pictures were submitted by Joel Smith in Tucson, Arizona. You can see more of his Arizona photos at:
www.BajaArizona.com.
