It was bound to happen — and now it has: A severely tilting giant cactus, known affectionately as “the leaning tower of saguaro,” has fallen to the ground.
The cactus, along the Mica View Trail at Saguaro National Park east of Tucson, had amazed many passing hikers by standing at a seemingly impossible angle.
“I’ve watched it for years. A sad day,” said hiker Linda White.
“Yet, it will feed the soil and make a handsome skeleton.”
The saguaro was featured in an Arizona Daily Star article on April 9. Don Swann, a biologist with Saguaro National Park, said then that he had never seen a saguaro “listing at such an angle,” and he predicted that the cactus wouldn’t remain standing for long.
Less than a month later, the saguaro has toppled — possibly brought down by a wind gust in recent days.
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The saguaro may have lost its battle with gravity, but it will continue to provide some benefits to the desert ecosystem.
“One of the interesting things about saguaros is that, after they fall, they become habitat for many animals as they decay,” Swann said. “That includes many insects as well as wood rats, lizards, snakes and other animals.
“Therefore, unless they are some kind of obstacle for humans — for example, if they fall over a road or trail — we tend to leave them where they fall,” he said. “The ribs may remain on the desert floor for a number of years.”
