Comments

  1. grasshopper says

    “Methus’lah lived nine hundred years
    Methus’lah lived nine hundred years
    But who calls dat livin’ when no gal’ll give in
    To no man what’s nine hundred years.”

    I am quite looking forward to my next birthday, a little over 12 months away.

  2. Tethys says

    The Sonoran desert is home to many unique native plants and animals. Cacti, agave,peyote, javelinas, various hoofed mammals, reptiles, and apparently the northernmost population of jaguars in North America.

  3. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Hope you enjoyed your margarita. Tres leches cake for desert? (Often the birthday cake for the Redhead.)

  4. brucej says

    Contrary to popular belief, Baja Arizona is no longer a part of Mexico…and so far the ‘population of jaguars’ in the US is: one.

    They used to roam here, but that was back when the Colorado River boasted a semitropical jungle delta.

    That said a few years back we had several javelina roaming about my neighborhood, which is decidedly urban, and I’ve seen numerous coyotes; although they may be part of our local, entirely urban population.

  5. Tethys says

    brucej

    so far the ‘population of jaguars’ in the US is: one.

    shhhhhhh! the border patrol might hear that and insist on deporting it.

    Javelinas are adorable, and hell on gardens. The desert foxes are also darn cute with their big ears. I’m pretty sure coyotes are wide-spread throughout North America, but I seem to recall a distinct sub-species in the Sonoran Desert.

  8. nahuati says

    What a spectacular saguaro photo!

    Some interesting information from the tucson.com article linked in the OP:

    The saguaro is a freak of nature.

    Really, it’s a freak and that’s why we love it so.

    The towering Carnegiea gigantea has always cast an improbable shadow on the landscape of the Sonoran Desert. With an adult height of 40 feet and a taproot less than two feet deep, it’s a wonder it stands and survives, let alone thrives in the upland desert surrounding Tucson.

    and

    Saguaros are prodigious seed producers, putting out an estimated 40 million seeds over a lifetime, but most seeds are eaten and the few saguaros that do germinate seldom survive their slow-growing youth. It takes about 40 years for a saguaro to grow 3 feet high and “resistant to weather extremes and animal damage,” according to the “Natural History of the Sonoran Desert.”

  9. nahuati says

    Doing good:
    Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society on a Rescue Mission

    The Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society Cactus Rescue Crew saves cacti and other native plants that would otherwise be destroyed during the development of Arizona real estate. We do not remove plants from private residences.
    Often, many viable and transplantable native plants are simply cleared away with other desert vegetation during construction. Since 1999, we have accomplished 363 rescues with volunteers putting in 26,095 hours, and over 76,574 native plants have been saved and provided new homes throughout Arizona. Plants are sold to the public at various sales through out the year (see our Cactus Rescue Sales page). These sales recover the cost of Arizona Department of Agriculture permits and tags and raise funds to further our educational efforts.

    Source: Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society