Vacation Pollination: Saguaro

16 May

Seeing the saguaro bloom was the only thing I wanted for my birthday. And I got it.

Daylight pollination of the saguaro cactus

Daylight pollination of the saguaro cactus

A four day weekend in Tucson, AZ and a 6am hike in the Sonoran desert chalked up the moment I was waiting for… Though the stately saguaro cacti are usually pollinated at night by bats (the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, to be exact),  the blossoms remain open for a few hours each morning giving local honeybees a shot at the goodies.

[More saguaro photos on Flickr]

One Response to “Vacation Pollination: Saguaro”

  1. chandler arizona landscaping February 19, 2010 at 1:10 pm #

    Wow, that is awesome. It’s rare to see Saguaros in flower for sure. I had no idea about the bats. The AZ desert has so much hidden diversity its insane !

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