Coincidentally, my blog is on July 4th. That will doubtless be a holiday with mixed messages today in our times. I had already decided to write about the saguaros and their importance to the desert community. I see no reason to change my mind. But, happy Fourth of July if it's an important holiday in your life.
There is a lot to learn about saguaros. I think some see them as just interesting for the landscape. Their shapes vary so much that they are beautiful in photographs. When we bought our desert home, it had three in the space below the house. We were thrilled. They take a long time to get to this size and longer to produce blossoms and fruit. They can live to be over 200 years if something doesn't come along to kill them.
They have been important to the denizens of the desert. The birds and insects find food from the blossoms and the later fruit.
Birds also create holes in them to raise their young.
The Native people find many products from them from the fruit but also later, when they die, their ribs that they can use for ramadas. The fruit makes tasty jelly or so I am told.
So we have enjoyed them since we bought this property over 21 years ago. We have never harvested the fruit. Mostly, that's been because with the farm to run, we had to leave here before it happened. This year with the pandemic and our son taking over the cattle and sheep operation, we were here to see their display.
We have a lot of concern that so many, in the Catalina Mountains, may have been destroyed. My lifetime will not see their return if so. They will be missed by the birds even more.
2 comments:
Very sad about the loss of so many saquaro to fire.
I just hope they are wrong and it won't be thousands. No way to know until it is past and they can assess.
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