Saguaro National Park
Saguaro is a US national park near the town of Tucson. It was founded to preserve the unique landscapes of the Sonor desert. Today the park covers an area of 370 km2. And all the beginning with the foundation of the Saguaro national monument in 1933, then they created a natural territory with the same name in 1976 and only in 1994 did these zones unite, giving them the status of a national park.
The park separates the city of Tucson: in the east, the base of the park is Mount Rincon, and in the west is Mount Tucson. Both parts have information centers, and in the western there is even a zoo with local desert animals. There you can also find the cave paintings of the Hochokam Indians.
Sonora Desert is also one of the hottest deserts in America, but this did not stop many animals from adapting to environmental conditions. Therefore, there are many unique representatives of flora and fauna, in fact, because of them, they created the Saguaro National Park. And the name of the park was given by the rare Saguaro cactus, growing only in these parts. In Russia, cactus is better known as carnegia.
In total, approximately 50 varieties of cactus are found in the park, such as echinocactus, ounce, mammillaria. The eastern part of the park is richer for plants, 1162 species are recorded here, and 512 times less in the western side. In addition, there are more mountains in the east, reaching almost 3 km in height. A very strange tradition took root in the park - with a frequency of 10 years, cacti are considered in the park. In 2000, bookkeepers revealed that 1,091,181 saguaro cactiuses grow in the west of the park, and only 243,375 in the east.
Of the animals here are: baribals, raccoons, lynxes, foxes, koati, badgers, hares, proteins and chipmunks. In summer, the temperature often stands at 35 ° C, and in winter usually 0 ° C. Although Saguaro Park is a hot desert, vegetation finds the strength to show all its beauty in the spring, covering everything around with fragrant herbs. At this time, many tourists come here, viewing platforms have been arranged for them in the park.
