sahuaro cactus

There is a big controversy right now about what to put on the Arizona quarter. A couple of the ideas have sahuaro cacti on them. You all know them as the cacti with 'arms'. It is pronounced 'sa WAR oh'. They are just starting to bloom, so I stopped on my way home from school this morning to snap a few pictures.







Here is a close up of a couple of the blooms. You can see the rest of the unopened buds near by. One I saw was not much taller than I am.....it had no arms...was just COVERED in buds. I have been watching to see if they all bloom at the same time.

Sahuaros are pretty amazing. These have all be transplanted here legally. It is a crime to move them with out a permit. They have to have a 'nurse' tree to cover them when they are very young. They only sprout arms after about 100 yrs. If you ever get the chance to visit Tucson, there is a wonderful place nearby called Sahuaro National Monument. There are SO many sahuaros there , it looks like a forest!