Sells, AZ

BAT IN MY BLOSSOMS!

[COLUMNAR CACTUS

in the Sonoran Desert]

Welcome to the Sonoran Desert, one of four located in North America. The uniqueness of the Sonoran Desert is that is has five seasons, two of which are rainy seasons, one in the summer and one in the winter. The average amount of rainfall is 7 ½ inches in this Desert. The average temperatures from Oct. thru April is 60-70 degrees and 105* the rest of the year. Twenty-eight species of cacti have adapted their lives to these conditions in the Sonoran Desert. Cacti are succulent, drought resistant plants that store water in their fleshy, succulent leaves, stems or roots. BATS IN MY BLOSSOMS is an introduction to cacti, specifically the columnar cactus in the Sonoran Desert within ORPI.

The columnar are cacti with stems shaped like columns; the stems have ribbed ridges and grooves. After reading this, perhaps, you will become a bit more acquainted with three of the columnar cactus: the saguaro, the Organ Pipe cactus, and the senita, along with the importance of the lesser long-nosed bats to these cacti.

Part I: SAGUARO

This cactus is one of the most recognized cacti of the SW, the saguaro with its telephone pole-like columnar stem. Its scientific name, Carnegia Gigantica, comes from the size of the columnar, as well as from Andrew Carnegie who financed an expedition to the SW for unusual plants to take back to the East Coast. Hardier than the organ pipe cactus, the saguaro grows at elevations of 1,670 to 4,700 feet; however, it does not like below freezing or real hot conditions. The young saguaro is difficult to differentiate from the barrel cactus. In the beginning it is small like a nickel which is a challenge to find in the desert floor. As it grows, the saguaro has a club-shape to it, not the straight up and down lines of a barrel cactus. The first five to ten years there may be an inch in growth, one foot by 30 years, 3 feet by 50 years, and 6 ft. between 60 and 75 years of age when arms appear. The average height of a mature saguaro at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument [ORPI] is 43 to 50 feet. The saguaro lives on average from 150 years to 200 years of age, perhaps even 250 years old.

The seeds of the columnar cacti look similar in appearance to poppy seeds in color and size. About 2,000 seeds are produced from one flower and about 4 million from one saguaro in its life time. The seeds need good summer rains, at least 1 ½ - 2 inches, but preferably 4 inches of rain with substantial rains for the next few years. In order to survive, the seeds must germinate within a few weeks or be eaten or burned by the sun. Survival depends on a ‘nurse plant.’

Saguaros require a nurse plant to establish itself. Being a nurse plant is a risky, thankless job. It provides shade, light, moisture, and nutrients. Over 80% of the nurse trees are palos verde, as well as mesquite, ironwood, ocotillo, and even creosote. The roots of the saguaro will be found 4, even 5, inches below the surface. The length of the roots is the same as the height of the plant. [5 ft. tall, the roots go out in a radius of 5 ft, or ten ft. in diameter. During drought periods, the root ends will develop a hard cover to stop moisture escaping. When it rains, new roots grow quickly absorb the rain. A mature saguaro has been known to drink 3,000 liters within a ten-day period.

The ribs or rods give the columnar cacti rigidity that allows for contraction and expansion for water and allows more surface for photosynthesis. The stems are able to expand into green succulent structures containing the chlorophyll necessary for life and growth while the leaves becomes spines for which the cacti are well known. A healthy plant can hold up to 85-90% water; on the other hand, it can dehydrate up to 80% and still survive. Waist bands are a result of not enough water or being too cold. MYTH: Cacti can not provide water to the thirsty. The slimy fluid inside is too gritty and bitter and alkaloid

In May about the age of 50, a saguaro will begin to flower, perhaps 6 that first year. The blooms are white, vase-like flowers at the end of the stem. The flowers open at night around 10 pm until the following afternoon. The fragrance and color of the flowers attracts insects, doves, but particularly the lesser long-nosed bats. About 6 weeks later, the woodpeckers stand ready to peck open the fruit; other birds stand ready to gorge themselves on the pulps and seeds; bees are ready to wallow in the sweet juices; ground squirrels are willing to brave the climb for a tasty treat; and coyotes & javelinas a wait for the fallen fruit down below. The Lesser Long-Nosed Bat, however, is the number one indulger. The sweet strawberry like-pulp is devoured by the creatures of the desert, including the People. The To’hono O’odam harvest the fruit using ‘kupits’ to knock down the fruit. The harvest is used for jams, syrups, and sweeteners. Some of the juice is fermented for four days to make a wine for a celebration to summon up the summer rains needed for other agriculture endeavors. Perhaps, some seeds will be overlooked and not killed by the heat of the sun to germinate a new Plant! Remember, 2,000 seeds per flower and 4 millions seeds produced per saguaro in a life time.

Part II: The namesake of this Monument is the Organ Pipe Cactus with its many slim, round-like columns of vertically ribbed stems branching upward from the base. This plant is not as hardy as its tall cousin and prefers elevations from 1,00 to 3,500 feet on sunny, rocky, south slopes. The tips of the Organ Pipe Cactus will freeze and die at 20 degrees. The Organ Pipe Cactus may grow 5 to 20 arms all from the base of the plant and be as wide as twelve feet and 9 to 20 feet in height [40 ft is the record]. Life span is about 150 years of age. Organ Pipe Cactus spines [11-14 in a cluster] are set in areoles set closer together than saguaros. Early on they are brownish/blackish that turn gray with age. The flowers bloom annually nocturnally from May through July. These lavender-white , 2 ½ inches, funnel shape blossoms open at night and close by the morning. The Organ Pipe Cactus fruit called pitahaya lose their spines at maturity, opening an edible red pulped fruit which taste more like watermelon. Pitahaya dulce refers to delectable fruit. As in the saguaro fruit, this food has provided a food source to animals, insects, birds, as well as to the People for centuries. The pulp can be eaten as is , or made into jelly or fermented into a beverage, too. The To’hono O’odam called the plant ‘ool’ and dried it for medicines as well.

Part III: The Lesser Long-Nosed Bat, a weird 2 ½ to 3 inch creature with a 14-inch wing span, is an extremely important creature to the saguaro and Organ Pipe cactus!! Yes, it is a winged mammal covered with fur that nurses its young pup mild. But, how can such a small creature be so critical in the survival of the saguaro and Organ Pipe Cactus? Until the 1960s, not much was known about this little guy until researchers realized that the numbers of bats were diminishing and it was affecting the survival of many plants. As researchers study bats, they have discovered that there are over 980 species.

For many years I have thought that all bats used Echolocation to navigate, as well as locate their food. To my surprise this isn’t always the case. Some bats, particularly the nectar-feeding and fruit bats use their excellent sense of vision and olfactory abilities.

Such is the case with the Lesser Long-Nosed Bats. Bats use their olfactory senses to detect fragrance of flowers, as well as of the fruit. They also utilize their vision to locate colors of the blossom of the flower. And, when I thought of bats, I pictured them hibernating for the winter in roosts, such as caves and other empty spaces. Again, the Lesser Long-Nosed Bats surprised me. Not only do they not hibernate, the MIGRATE from the southern areas of Mexico up the coast to southern Arizona, east to the Tucson area, and then back to southern Mexico. The impregnated females fly north resting and eating along the way for strength until they locate nectar and fruit and finally their favorite buffet~agave. Bats hang upside down which is great for take-off; they can’t take off from the ground. The knees of the bat are well suited for clinging to walls. Their knees are rotated 180*, compared to human knees, which makes clinging to walls and taking off much easier. Bats roost or rest during the day, bringing down their temperature levels to the ambient heat of the moist, roosting habitats, conserving their energies for the night ‘buffet’. The LLN Bats roost in the Pinacante Lava Tubes and the other roosting areas in ORPI, using them for nurseries, too. Mothers leave the ‘pups’ in the roost to hunt for food. Upon returning the mothers can hear the sound of their pups, as well as detect their pups’ odors.

Bats are designed to fit inside a flower to suck out the nectar with their tongues. In the process, the fur of the bats are covered with yellow pollen. As they move from one flower to another, they help in the pollination of the plant, in this case the cacti. A single bat can dine at 100 flowers per night! The flock of 100,000 LLN bats pollinate and feed on ten million cacti. The females need the nourishment for their pups weigh up to 40% of their own weight. If I compared that to my own babies, they would have weighed 60 to 65 # at birth!! The LLN Bats eat the fruit of the saguaro and Organ Pipe Cactus to nourish themselves and their pups as they continue their flights back to southern Mexico. By eating the fruit they assist in the reproduction of the cacti by depositing the seeds from the pulp. The survival of the Lesser Long-Nosed Bats is crucial in the survival of the saguaro and the Organ Pipe Cactus!

Part III: Last, but not least, we have the Senita Cactus which is not as visible to the visitors of ORPI due to their location in the Monument. The Senita is referred to the ‘old man of the desert.’ Like the Saguaro it prefers flatter, sandy soils at about 1,500 feet or less in elevation. Most grow in Sonora, Mexico. As of the 1990s, between 50 and 100 may look quite similar to its cousin the Organ Pipe Cactus. Take a closer look and you will see that the columns are hexagonal and have more of a hairy appearance at the top of the columns. This species will grow 6 to 21 feet tall and 6’ to 15’ in diameter. Senita spines [15-20 in a cluster] are beard-like gray in color that are 1 ½ inches to 4 inches long on the upper stem that turn from pinkish red to gray in later years. Unlike the Saguaro and the Organ Pipe Cactus, the Senita’s main pollinator is the pyralid or senita moth, not the Lesser Long-Nosed Bats. The Senita moths lays its eggs inside the flower where the eggs hatch and the larvae eats the fruit. Ants also feed on the nectar secreted by the spines. The fruit of the Senita is a spineless, fleshy oval green pod that ripens to a red pulp containing black seeds that are edible, just not as tasty to humans.

As we all know, death must come to the cacti. In the dying process, the columnar cacti continues to be of use to the ecosystem. Even as it dies, the columnar structures houses many animals, as well as provide burrows below in the root systems. The message of death takes awhile to move through the plant. The cacti has been known to flower for two years after the process begins ~ sometimes a nine-year process. The centipedes and other insects continue to feed on the columnar structure, whether it is in the upright position or lying upon the ground. The dying cacti is still a home for many creatures as it wastes away. And, finally, it becomes nutrients to the soils for new growth.

In conclusion there are many reasons for the survival of the Saguaro, the Organ Pipe cactus, and the Senita. These cacti provide homes for many creatures, such as the cactus wren, the Harris Hawk, the re-tailed hawk, owls, and pack rats. They provide food sources for the creatures of the desert, as well as for the People. The ribs/rods have been utilized as building supplies for homes/fences and for tools, such as the kupit. The spines are used as needles for sewing. Many people plant the cacti in their gardens for their ornamental value. And, of course, do not forget their historical value. The Saguaro is thought of as the ‘symbol of the SW.’ Keep in mind that it is our responsibility to protect all plants and animals within our ecosystem; one loss will have a

negative effect in our lives. Do your part to maintain the world of the Saguaro, the Organ Pipe Cactus, the Senita, and the Lesser Long-Nosed Bats.

This bit of information is part of my Power-Point program that is presented at the Evening Programs. Perhaps, this information may encourage you to visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument or do some research on your own.