From time to time, some of the best travel photography might well be found in your own backyard.

We’ve had a dry, hot spring here in Scottsdale, Arizona.  As a result, our saguaros have started their bloom early.  Generally, we don’t see blossoms on the saguaro at our 2,600 foot elevation until June.

What you can’t tell from the photograph above is that these flowers are about 25 feet in the air, positioned at the very top of this mighty saguaro.

The saguaro is native to our Sonoran desert and can grow to be over 50 feet tall.  The white saguaro blossoms that you see here are the State Wildflower of Arizona.  Remarkably, the saguaro only grows a couple of inches each year, and can take up to 75 years before it will begin to sprout an arm.

The saguaro has an internal skeletal structure that can be found long after its death.  During the summer monsoon season the saguaro will visibly swell as it stores precious rainwater, and the deep ribbing on the saguaros exterior serves to channel the 80 mph monsoonal winds up and away from the cactus to prevent it from being blown over.

The saguaro has become an iconic part of Arizona and if you are fascinated by these mammouth cacti, we recommend your visit to Arizona be made in late-spring.

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