After leaving the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, we drove to Tucson, Arizona, where we visited the Saguaro National Park. This park consists of two separate areas and it’s the home to the country’s largest cactus, the giant saguaro (Carnigiea gigantea). These plants are tree-like cacti that develop branches as they age. Saguaros can grow to be between 40-60 feet tall (12-18m) and have a relatively long lifespan, often exceeding 150 years. When a saguaro reaches 35 years of age it begins to produce flowers and branches normally begin to appear when a saguaro reaches 50 to 70 years of age. This enormous cactus is the symbol of the American west. We arrived to the east part of the park before sunset and were able to take some photos of the giant saguaro cacti during sunset and twilight. Next day we visited the west part of the park too. This morning the light was too harsh for serious photography, but I created some images that I like and we also saw a Harris’s antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus harrisii) which was a great experience.

Gear: Canon EOS 7D and Canon EOS 620 cameras, Canon 17-40mm F/4 and 70-200mm F/4 lenses.