Saguaro National Park is located within a
desert, but contrary to what you might expect, there is an abundance of
life. Plants here are adapted to drought, so during long dry periods they
are able to go dormant, conserving their water. At these times, many plants
appear lifeless, but shortly after a rainfall these plants are able to come
to life sprouting new green leaves. If you like green, you will especially
enjoy Saguaro National Park during the rainy seasons. Within just 48 hours
after a rainfall, the ocotillo plant is able to change from what appeared to
be a handful of dead sticks into a cheerful shrub with tall green branches,
covered in new leaves.
Growing at Saguaro National Park, Rincon
Mountain District, are more than 1,162 species of plants ranging from
desert vegetation such as cacti, ocotillo, and creosote in the lower
elevations all the way to ponderosa pine, oak, and Douglas-fir in the upper
elevations of the Rincon Mountains.