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Arizona
DISCOVERING RURAL ARIZONA IN SPRING
By Mary Emma Allen
Photography by Stan Tovrea
A barrel cactus thrives in the arid desert landscape
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"Rural country" means something different to each of us. The term can include remote mountains, a river valley far from neighbors, or sparsely populated hills and forests some distance from towns and cities. In Arizona, I discovered, it means desert and traveling for miles through arid country which can be fascinating as well as desolate.
On one of our trips to the West, (we live in New Hampshire), Jim and I drove from Phoenix, AZ. to Las Vegas, NV through the southwestern desert landscape. During the 300-mile drive, the country- side changed from the fairly flat typical desert terrain to the more rolling area and then the hillier landscape with its canyons around Lake Mead.
Each area was different and presented its own fascinating phenomena to capture our attention. In April, when we traveled this route, the landscape was dotted with cacti of various types in bloom, which gave a rainbow effect as we gazed at the various plants in a landscape which otherwise seemed drab.
The Towering Saguaro
The towering saguaro cacti grow around Phoenix and for some distance
north. These plants stand like sentinels in the desert, often 25 to
40-feet high with spiky arms branching off the main stem as well as
stretching upward. Some will have only three or four branches, but the
older ones (sometimes well over 100 years old) grow a multitude of arms.
The saguaro grows slowly and will be around eight feet tall and between
45 and 55 years old before it puts out its first arms. Some live to be
100 to 200 years old. Covering the saguaro are thousands of very sharp
spines, so take care when around them.
This desert plant also is home for a variety of birds. Gilded flickers
and gila woodpeckers make holes in the tough outer covering and create
nests within. Other birds - small owls, sparrows, purple martins and
flycatchers - then use these nest holes once the woodpeckers and flickers
have raised their young.
Years ago, the Papago Indians used the saguaro for food, shelter, and
making tools. The red colored fruit of the saguaro, which usually ripens
in June, was made into syrup, wine, vinegar, oil, flour, jam and
dehydrated pulp. (In gift shops, you may find jars of saguaro jam and
jelly.)
The Joshua Tree is one of America's more unusual trees
The Joshua Tree Forest
As we approached the Joshua Tree Forest, along the parkway of that name, the landscape became more rolling and these unusual bristly trees began to appear. They grow only in certain arid areas of the southwestern United States, 2,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level.
Not a forest as we think of one in the east with thick growth of trees and under- brush, the Joshua Tree Forest contains desert plants and Joshua trees scattered across the desert.
The Joshua Tree, sometimes called the yucca cactus, yucca tree, or yucca palm, can live to be 100 to 1,000 years old. They grow slowly and aren't extremely tall. In fact, you might think of them as rather bristly little trees with stout trunks that grow to a maximum height of about 40 feet; but many are shorter.
Desert in Bloom
All is not stark and drab in the desert landscape. |
If you are visiting this part of the Southwest in the spring when the desert cactus and other plants are in bloom, it can offer colorful vistas among the shades of brown, buff, and dull red.
Far from being a stark, arid wasteland, the desert of Arizona can provide many fascinating things to see and do. Typical of one portion of the Southwest, Arizona’s desert is a sampling of what we've discovered in
this fascinating state.
(c)2003, Mary Emma Allen
(In addition to the Vagabond Traveler column, Mary Emma Allen writes books for children and adults, teaches writing workshops, and travels around the United States in the course of her research. She's compiling a book of her column, The Vagabond Traveler. Visit her web site:
http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/jetent/mea ;
E-mail: me.allen@juno.com)
Photos copyright Stan Tovrea 2003
Stan Tovea has traveled over much of the globe. We are fortunate to have his photographs of desert scenery. While Stan doesn't have a website to invite you to, His wife, romance author, Kristie Leigh Maguire would love to have you visit her site. http://clik.to/Kristie
