Saguaro: These stately succulents stand guard throughout the desert, proudly displaying the arms that have taken years to grow. This grampa of the desert, at left, is over 20 feet tall and could be up to 200 years old.

The saguaro begins life under the protection of a nurse plant. As it grows, it will develop arms that reach toward the sky. It will be 50 years before the plant blossoms with the beautiful state flower of Arizona and it takes 75 years before appendages sprout.

Saguaros provide high rise dormitories for a number of desert dwellers. They are used as nesting homes by birds (including elf owls, house finches and cactus wrens (below) as well as rats, mice, snakes and lizards. Primary architects of the cactus cavities are the gila woodpeckers and gilded flickers who are also residents.

As the saguaro ages, it begins to deteriorate until only its skeleton remains. You may see saguaro carcass still standing, or lying on the ground like a pile of old bones. The "bones" of the saguaro are the woody tubes within the plant which draw water up from the ground to its outer extremities. Its anatomy enables the cactus to store enough moisture to survive without rain for periods of up to two or even three years.

In many ways, the life of a saguaro reflects that of a human being. From early life, it is guarded and protected like a small child by its nurse plant. As it grows it stands short and stout, armless and not fully developed. Coming of age occurs when it blossoms and begins to sprout, adding appendages to its frame. As a mature adult, it stands tall and strong and ready to face the challenges of nature.

In a crowd of cactus (or cacti), each has its own personality and appearance. One may have a smoother, healthier complexion. The arm on anther appears to be waving hello. One bears the wounds caused by nature's forces; an arm lost to lightning. There a handsome, firm saguaro standing next to a rather mutated fellow. Like people, no two look alike.

Age catches up to the saguaro as it does in the human race. After a century or maybe even two, the saguaro starts to slump and lose color. Wrinkles and creases may appear. Inevitably, life begins to fade until all that is left is a scattering of cactus bones. A long life comes to an end, but a new one begins under the protection of a nurse plant, giving another saguaro tender loving care until it's ready to go it alone.

Saguaros have long been revered and today are protected in order to preserve these guardians of the Sonoran Desert.