Saguaro National Park

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Saguaro National Park
Column cacti in the park
Column cacti in the park
Saguaro National Park (USA)
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Coordinates: 32 ° 13 ′ 0 ″  N , 110 ° 39 ′ 0 ″  W.
Location: Arizona , United States
Next city: Tucson
Surface: 371.16 km²
Founding: January 1, 1933
Visitors: 957,405 (2018)
Address: Saguaro National Park
National park map
National park map
Cylindropuntia fulgida, on the right behind Fouquieria splendens
Cylindropuntia fulgida , on the right behind Fouquieria splendens
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The Saguaro National Park is located in Tucson , Arizona in the southwestern United States . The park is located in the Sonoran Desert , which extends far into Mexico , and is considered one of the most beautiful and biodiverse regions in this desert. An outstanding plant gave the park its name: the candelabra cactus Carnegiea gigantea (English Saguaro ).

The area has been protected as a National Monument since 1933 . The national park status was granted on October 14, 1994. In 2013, according to the National Park Service, 678,261 visitors came to the protected area, which extends over almost 370 km².

Geography and climate

Saguaro National Park consists of two sub-areas that are located on the western and eastern edges of the city of Tucson in southeastern Arizona. The smaller western part contains extensive stocks of candelabra cacti. The hilly plain is about 800 meters above sea level. In the Tucson Mountains a height of 1418 m is reached. The eastern district rises from the plain to Mica Mountain (2641 m), the highest peak in the mountains of the Rincon Mountains, about 40 kilometers east of Tucson.

Saguaro National Park is located in the eastern part of the Sonoran Desert and is part of the Arizona Upland. In summer, temperatures often exceed 40 ° C in the shade during the day, while it cools down to an average of 22 ° C in the evening. The mean temperatures in winter are 19 ° C during the day and 4 ° C at night. The average annual rainfall is less than 300 mm.

Flora and fauna

There is an unusually large variety of habitats in the park . Plants and animals are adapted to survive in the hot and dry desert. The desert region is not as lifeless as it appears at first glance.

More than 1000 plant species are native to Saguaro National Park. In addition to the giant saguaros, Cylindropuntia species and Ferocactus wislizeni are widespread here, but also colorful flowers such as lupins and gold poppies . Other typical inhabitants of the desert plains are the large, green mesquite bushes and the Fouquieria splendens , whose long, thin stems often look dead, but most of the time have red flowers. Pine and juniper are at home in the mountains.

The animal world is correspondingly diverse. Coyotes and the pork-like collared peccaries are some of the more common large animals in the park. Large carnivores are represented by pumas and black bears , with the latter primarily populating the higher altitudes. The same applies to the white-tailed deer . Smaller predatory species are bobcat , kit fox , gray fox , cat frett , raccoon , white-nosed coati , silver badger and various skunks . There are also antelope hares , donkey hares , Audubon cottontail rabbits and various squirrels. Birds are particularly numerous with around 200 species, for example Arizona's heraldic bird, the cactus wren , and the gilaspecht , which hammers its nests into the trunk of the saguaro. There are tiny hummingbirds and road runners who can actually run better than fly. More exotic residents of the area include the California gopher tortoise , desert iguana , venomous gila crustacean , several species of rattlesnakes and the Arizona coral snake , as well as tarantulas and scorpions .

See also

Web links

Commons : Saguaro National Park  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence