The saguaro is the king of the desert and the biggest cactus in the United States! This amazing giant can grow up to 40 feet tall, which is about as high as a four-story building. It can also weigh as much as a car when it is full of water! Saguaros grow very, very slowly. A saguaro that is 10 years old might only be about as tall as a pencil. It does not even start to grow its famous arms until it is about 75 years old, and it can live for 150 to 200 years. These incredible cacti only grow in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and parts of Mexico.
Saguaro cacti are like desert hotels because so many animals make their homes inside them! Woodpeckers poke holes in the thick trunk to build nests, and after they move out, tiny owls, hawks, and other birds move right in. When it rains, the saguaro can soak up hundreds of gallons of water and swell up like an accordion to hold it all. In late spring, beautiful white flowers bloom at the tips of the arms, and they only open at night! These flowers are the state flower of Arizona. The flowers later turn into sweet red fruits that birds, bats, and people love to eat.
