Fotos

A Barrel Cactus in bloom in Arizona, at Saguaro National Park. Despite limited rainfall, when they bloom, they go all out and liven up the desert with their spectacular color.

Barrel cacti typically grow 4-5 feet high, but sometimes up to 8 feet (2.5 meters). Older plants lean to the south and sometimes fall over, since they grow towards the sun.

The Saguaro cacti in the background are the signature sight in this national park, which was originally set aside as a national monument in 1933.

I took this picture on my cross-country trip when I moved from Chicago back to California 2 years ago. You could have spotted me pretty easily--I was the only one driving a 40-foot moving van around the desert that day.

(It might look like the photo is tilted because the horizon is not straight, but that was natural--the desert floor wasn't flat here)