Tuscon (a desert hike)

S and I went for a delightful hike this morning at Sweetwater Preserve , a 880+ acre property located in the eastern foothills of the Tucson Mountains. This preserve is only about a half mile from Saguaro National Park ’s Tucson Mountain District and is replete with its namesake cactus. Also visible from the preserve is Mount Lemmon, part of the Santa Catalina mountain range .  S and I are both fans of abstract photography and we had a lot of fun finding fun and shooting unusual markings on the Saguaros. Having both take Art Wolfe abstract workshops , we knew we were on to something when passers-by stopped to ask what on earth we were photographing. 

S also played biological tour guide and gave me some very interesting information about the life cycle of Saguaro cacti. Saguaros are very slow growing cacti, growing only between 1 and 1.5 inches in the first eight years of their life. The tiny, young saguaros are very difficult to find as they grow under the protection of a "nurse tree", most often a palo verde, ironwood or mesquite tree. As the saguaro continues to grow, its much older nurse tree may die. Some scientists believe that competition from the saguaro may lead to the death of the nurse tree by competing for water and nutrients from the soil in the immediate area. If true, that would define the Saguaro as a parasite of its nurse tree.

Back at the house, another short walk in the neighborhood revealed a Cholla cactus that bore some old fruit. Not particularly edible, but pretty.