Saguaro Cactus Flower & Others

We had to run some errands today in the Green Valley area south of Tucson.  We like to take a back road called Sahuarita Rd to avoid driving in the Tucson traffic.  There are large segments along the side of the road that are covered in prickly pear cactus plants and they were in full bloom today.  

Prickly Pear Cactus

Prickly Pear Cactus

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.

Saguaro cactus in bloom

Saguaro cactus flowers

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.

Crested Saguaro Cactus

We had a late lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant and really enjoyed the spring rolls and sauce.  They were closing early so we just had a couple appetizers and had a light lunch.  We finished our errands and returned to the coolness of the motor home and a couple cold drinks.  Life is good.

Reader Jerry reminded me about the flowers blooming at night.  I had forgotten to include that info and have added it now.  Thanks, Jerry.