The Super-sized Saguaro and its Greedy Guests

The Saguaro – now there is one big cactus.  A native of Mexico and Arizona (with some in California too) it attracts a number of visitors – especially when it flowers.  Not all of them are desirable however, with a number of birds – notably the Flicker, making their homes inside the motionless giants.

The amount of life that the saguaro attracts is quite amazing. As well as the discovery of the unexpected – such as a woodpecker variety, you will even get to see hummingbirds in action as they hover over the enormous, candelabra-shaped cacti. It was many generations ago of hummingbird that this example first started its slow reach for the sky. Although they will sometimes reach fifteen meters in height, the saguaro does not bloom until it is around fifty years old. The hummingbird can be weighed in grams while the saguaro itself might weigh up to nine thousand kilograms. That’s some difference.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by taliesyn30.