Cactus Blooms and Birds in Saguaro National Park

Having passed my comprehensive exams on Monday, I took a morning to hike in Saguaro National Park (East) this week. It was filled with blooming trees and cacti, as well as a good showing of wildlife, especially birds happily perched atop the saguaros.

It's the season for saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) blooms, which I always think simultaneously look gorgeous individually and a little silly in aggregate.

See what I mean? This one was particularly impressive, and the curling arms gave me a better view of the flowers crowning them.

Also in bloom was the brilliant palo verde (genus Parkinsonia), the state tree of Arizona, creating large swathes of yellow throughout the desert landscape.

The mesquite (genus Prosopis) flowers, also a bright yellow, look a little bit like miniature feather dusters.

Various species of cholla (Cylindropuntia) and prickly pear (Opuntia) added additional splashes of color to the scene.

I believe this is Engelmann's prickly pear (Opuntia phaeacanta), the most common prickly pear in Arizona.

Even the cacti fruit contributed to the vibrancy, especially those of the desert Christmas cactus (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis).



We saw a couple ground squirrels, which jumped away quickly with their tails raised adorably, too quickly for me to get a photo, but I did manage to snap a few of this desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii).

The zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides) is one of the easiest lizards to identify out here, due to it's striped tail which it curls up over its body and wags back and forth when it's been disturbed.

The bright coloration of this iron-cross blister beetle (Tegrodera aloga) is quite remarkable and a useful aposematic warning of the cantharidins found inside these beetles. Cantharidin can cause blisters and severe chemical burns if they contact your skin, hence the common name of this entire family of beetles (Meloidae).

Saguaros--often much taller than the surrounding trees--are always a favorite perch for birds, but perhaps even more so when they're blooming. In addition to insects and bats, these birds help with pollination as they fly from cactus to cactus.

I think this cute little guy is a black-tailed gnat catcher (Polioptila melanura).

Some circling turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) were riding the thermals.

 And I'll leave you with one more fun view of a flower-crowned saguaro.



If you can take a moment to get outside for a walk or hike, I highly recommend it! (Even if I did wish I could cool down with a swim afterwards...)