The desert blooms Mar 5, 2020

The desert blooms

It"s getting to be wildflower season in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. That means it won"t be long before we see blooms from the big daddy of the cactus world—the saguaro. Our homepage pic shows just a glimpse of this amazing succulent. The saguaro is the largest of them all, with some of the oldest specimens reaching more than 50 feet tall. It can hold huge amounts of water—after plentiful rains when it"s fully hydrated, a saguaro can weigh between 3,200 and 4,800 pounds. In the right conditions, it will live more than 100 years, growing arms as it ages, creating that classic cactus profile that"s associated with the desert and Old West.

© Jack Dykinga/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

Mar 5, 2018Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington
Mar 5, 2019Stompin’ with the Big Chief
Mar 5, 2021Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers
Mar 5, 2022Mont-Saint-Michel
Mar 5, 2023Cherry blossom season in Tokyo
Mar 5, 2024Bangkok, Thailand
Mar 5, 2025Khao Sok National Park in Thailand
Mar 5, 2026Evening over Göreme, Cappadocia, Türkiye

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 8, 2019Mod gear
Mar 15, 2023Agüero, Huesca province, Spain
Nov 30, 2023Saint Andrews Day
May 17, 2019Work out on your way to work
Apr 10, 2018It’s Siblings Day!
Jul 14, 2025Shark Awareness Day
Dec 19, 2022Northern cardinal in winterberry bush
Oct 1, 2025Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California
Jul 14, 2021A different view of sharks
Aug 28, 2020A prison fit for a count
Sep 5, 2023Mount Segla, Senja Island, Norway
May 2, 2022Pamukkale, Turkey
Aug 18, 2024Huntington Beach Pier, California, at sunset
Apr 3, 2021A light at the edge of the world
Aug 8, 2025Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
Mar 23, 2024World Meteorological Day
Nov 24, 2023Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
Aug 6, 2019Storks ready for takeoff
Sep 4, 2018What the hay?
Dec 17, 2019When in Rome...celebrate Saturnalia
Nov 18, 2022Keyholes to the kingdom
Jan 11, 2019Life in a North African town
Jan 12, 2022Take the Stairs Day
Dec 20, 2024Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
Dec 6, 2018The owl that loved football
Jun 25, 2019Sutherland Falls in Fiordland National Park
Mar 10, 2023Vale of Edale, Peak District, England
Jan 18, 2024Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France
Mar 7, 2023Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
May 10, 2022Gifford Pinchot National Forest