Saguaro National Park
Saguaro is a national park in the United States near the town of Tucson. It was founded to preserve the unique landscapes of the Sonoran desert. Today, the park covers an area of 370 km2. It all started with the foundation of the Saguaro National Monument in 1933, then a natural area with the same name was created in 1976, and only in 1994 these zones were united, giving them the status of a national park.
The park divides the city of Tucson: in the east, Mount Rincon is the base of the park, and Mount Tucson is in the west. There are information centers in both parts, and even a zoo with local desert animals in the western part. You can also find rock paintings of the Hohokam Indians there.
The Sonoran desert is also one of the hottest deserts in America, but this has not prevented many animals from adapting to environmental conditions. Therefore, there are many unique representatives of flora and fauna here, in fact, because of them, the Saguaro National Park was created. And the name of the park was given by a rare Saguaro cactus, which grows only in these parts. In Russia, the cactus is better known as carnegie.
In total, there are about 50 varieties of cactus in the park, such as echinocactus, prickly pear, and mammillaria. The eastern part of the park is richer in plants, 1,162 species have been recorded here, and 512 are 2 times less in the western side. In addition, there are more mountains in the east, reaching heights of almost 3 km. A very strange tradition has taken root in the park - cacti are counted in the park every 10 years. In 2000, accountants revealed that 1,091,181 saguaro cacti grow in the west of the park, while only 243,375 grow in the east.
Of the animals found here: baribalas, raccoons, lynxes, coyotes, foxes, skunks, coatis, badgers, hares, squirrels and chipmunks. In summer, the temperature often stands at around 35 ° C, and in winter it is usually 0 ° C. Although Saguaro Park is a hot desert, the vegetation finds the strength to show all its beauty in spring, covering everything with fragrant herbs. A lot of tourists come here at this time, and viewing platforms have been set up in the park for them.
