Cactus Monday - More Bloomin' Saguaros

Chris and I went to Sabino Canyon on Friday to enjoy the strange rainy May weather. We only meant to be there a little while, but as usual, the canyon drew us in, and we stayed for hours.




Chris took most of these pictures. I had used up my camera batteries on reptiles and round-tailed ground squirrels. Perhaps you'll see some of those small wonders on future blog posts.
In the above photo, I like how Chris included the edge of the saguaro in the foreground and the brooding sky in the background.
Near the creek, we watched this rock squirrel gorging on saguaro blossoms briefly. Then, it scampered away with full cheeks.
I played around with the photo below making it all black and white except for the cactus. The Palo Verde tree in the background was nearly the same green color as the saguaro buds that I wanted to show off.




Follow up: Here's the same saguaro four days later with some blossoms open. For about a month, a few buds bloom each night. Each flower lasts until midday then closes forever.




In June, the saguaro blossoms finish up and fruit will set. Then, the red ripe fruit splits open, resembling flowers. I guess I have it made here with the cactus photo opportunities.

Find more Cactus Monday posts at Teri's Painted Daisies.