Saguaro cacti, including one quite lofty, stately specimen, frame a brilliant sunset-lit core of rain over distant mountains, as seen from Saguaro National Park. At right, one sees a thin, orange-lit plume of virga—precipitation not reaching the ground (yet). A mature saguaro with more than one arm probably is in the 125–150-year-old range. The tall one here could be older, dating from well back into the 1800s, yet somehow bearing no visible evidence of scarring from lightning strikes that are especially common on mountainsides in this area.
13 WNW Tucson AZ (16 Jul 19) Looking WNW
32.2533, -111.1976Sunset Saguaro Scene
Saguaro cacti, including one quite lofty, stately specimen, frame a brilliant sunset-lit core of rain over distant mountains, as seen from Saguaro National Park. At right, one sees a thin, orange-lit plume of virga—precipitation not reaching the ground (yet). A mature saguaro with more than one arm probably is in the 125–150-year-old range. The tall one here could be older, dating from well back into the 1800s, yet somehow bearing no visible evidence of scarring from lightning strikes that are especially common on mountainsides in this area.
13 WNW Tucson AZ (16 Jul 19) Looking WNW
32.2533, -111.1976