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| Prickly Pear Cactus |
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| Prickly Pear Cactus |
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| Prickly Pear Cactus |
Please forgive the barb wire in the photos. It was 98 degrees and the side of the road was covered in cactus plants, so it wouldn't have been good to walk in the area.
Further down the road are some Saguaro Cactus plants and they were in bloom today. It is the first time we have seen this many blooms on the Saguaros since we usually have left the area before now.
The night blooming white and yellow flowers appear April through June and the sweet, ruby-colored fruit matures by late June. Saguaro flowers are self incompatible thus require cross pollination. Large quantities of pollen are required for complete pollination as there are numerous ovules. A well-pollinated fruit will contain several thousand tiny seeds.
The major pollinators are bats, primarily the lesser long-nosed bat, feeding on the nectar from the night-blooming flowers, which often remain open in the morning. There are a number of floral characteristics geared toward bat pollination: nocturnal opening of the flowers, nocturnal maturation of pollen, very rich nectar, position high above the ground, durable blooms that can withstand a bat's weight, and fragrance emitted at night. One additional piece of evidence is that the amino acids in the pollen appear to help sustain lactation in bats. The flowers remain open into the daylight hours and continue to produce nectar after sunrise. Doves and bees appear to be the primary daytime pollinators.
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| Saguaro cactus in bloom |
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| Saguaro cactus flowers |
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| Saguaro Flower |
A little way down the road from the cactus above is a beautiful Crown Saguaro cactus and must be over 130 years old. It is great to see these old giants that were around when Bat Masterson and the Earp brothers were in the area. I wonder if it had a crown then?
The Santa Rita mountains are in the background.
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| Crested Saguaro Cactus |
Reader Jerry reminded me about the flowers blooming at night. I had forgotten to include that info and have added it now. Thanks, Jerry.
Life definitely is good, Larry. We are hoping that our park's cactus will bloom just as we return there a week and a half from now. Wonderful to see so many saguaro blooms, even though during the day they close down so much. You probably already know that they bloom at night, and a particular species of bat uses their nectar on their flight through the area. AT the same time, the bats provide a means for pollination among the various blooms. There is a word for that cross-dependency between species, but it escapes me right now. How much longer will you be here? We'd love to get together again after we get home May 1.
ReplyDeleteThe crested Saguaro reminds me of a doctor's hammer he uses to check reflexes. There's several at the Botanical Gardens too.
ReplyDelete