Sonoran Desert Reflection in Rain Puddle

Rain Puddle Reflection

Saguaro National Park

It’s not often I get the opportunity to photograph the desert after a heavy rainfall which offered puddles and perfect reflections of prickly pear and saguaro cacti.

We visited one of the more isolated areas of the eastern part of Saguaro National Park. We hiked the Mica View Trail,  which offered great views of the Tanque Verde Peak and Mica Mountain, but I was most fascinated by the puddles and spent a fair amount of time sprawled on the damp desert floor fiddling with my camera and different angles..

Plump Saguaro Cactus in Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

This saguaro cactus is nearly bulging at its seams. The Sonoran Desert region in this part of Saguaro National Park has had a rainy period and the saguaros were able to soak up the rain water and store it in its ribs. As the weather becomes hotter and drier, the saguaro will use the stored water and the ribs will shrivel and become more ridged.

Ocotillo

Moody Desert in Black and White

Moody Desert in Black and White

Candle Wood, Coach Whip, Flaming Sword, Jacob’s Staff, Slim Wood, Vine Cactus – all are various names for the Ocotillo cactus.

Found only in the Sonoran desert in the Southwest United States and adjacent Mexico, it is a practical plant. Its branches, covered with spiky thorns, makes a naturally effective fence. Those thorns are sharp, nothing to be reckoned with.

But its silhouette is a source of beauty, rising from the floor of the desert, reaching upwards to the blue skies.

A Sea of Saguaro

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

I am so happy to be back in the desert, able to walk among these giant cacti, the mighty Saguaro. I have visited over a hundred National Parks and Monuments, in 46 states, and I think this is the park that most loudly calls my name. I want to explore it, talk to it, photograph it, sketch it. Lots of folks think the desert, and Saguaro National Park, is harsh and hostile, but I find it attractive, alluring, full of life.

Saguaro National Park

Tucson in background

Tucson in background

Visited Saguaro National Park at sunset. The low sunlight gave the cacti a glowing cast and contrasted with the purple mountains of Tucson in the background.