Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation’s largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. As of 9/14/2023, in the western section of the park, over 1,200 saguaros have been counted that have either blown down, or lost arms or their tops, during the storm of August 22, 2023. While a good number of plants have been affected by this blowdown, there are many hundreds of saguaros still standing that remain healthy!
Other factors associated with Climate Change have also made it difficult for the iconic cactus. The number of young saguaros surviving in the park has been low since the mid-1990s due to drought. Highly variable or extreme weather makes it difficult for the saguaro to thrive. The die off of mature Saguaro cactus in other areas does not seem to have affected the Saguaros in this park.
