One of the best parts of living in the Sonoran Desert are the cacti that the desert is known for: the saguaros. I’ve always loved saguaros, but they are SPECTACULAR when they do this:
Saguaro flowers - with bees!
Simply gorgeous!
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The Dragonfly Woman 
What a sight to behold! I’ve never had the pleasure, but hopefully someday I’ll travel out to your part of the world. Better make it this time of year if I want to see such splendor! ~karen
I think late March is often a better time to come to So. AZ! That’s when the wildflower season occurs (whole parts of the desert turn bright yellow-orange with poppies!) and many of the smaller cacti bloom. It’s also not 110 degrees outside, which is always a plus. On the other hand, late May and early June are when you get the saguaro and night blooming cereus blooms, and they’re both super impressive. But boy was it hot the day I took this saguaro photo!
My favorite are the hedgehog cacti, with their giant fuchsia blossoms. Too late in the season for them now, though.
Ooh, yeah! The hedgehog cacti blooms are fabulous!
this is gorgeous! I shared it on my FB page – was too late or too lazy to get shots of some of the cacti blooms I wanted for my own blog but you’ve filled the gap :-)
Thanks! I think the saguaro flowers are absolutely beautiful! I love everything about saguaros though.
I was astounded by these cactuses when I saw them, though they were not blooming when I visited Arizona a few years ago. So tall and spiky! Plus birds nest in them. Neat.