This was the only saguaro in our backyard that was growing an arm. We estimate this cactus is 50 to 75 years old. All our other cactus were arm free. Until this week. Now several are sprouting arms. My guess is that it has something to do with our weather. We are in our fifth or sixth consecutive week of rainy days. It’s been raining three to four days a week. FYI, the black holes on the saguaro are created by woodpeckers hollowing out nests. When they abandon their nests, other species of birds move in.
Here are a few more photos from our backyard of cactus arms and buds:
Here’s a barrel cactus growing arms on the side. They are also known as pups.
This saguaro is partially hidden by branches from a mesquite tree. There’s a small arm popping out the front, too.
This is called a Peruvian Apple Cactus (the skinny one that look like it’s growing an arm.) I learned that’s actually the fruit growing. There are several of them in our yards.
Here’s another one. The black string that hangs from the fruit is the dried up blossom.
Photos from the McDowell Sonoran Preserve:
This is a saguaro out in the wilds of the preserve across the street. It’s saguaro like this that my husband says he has cactus arm envy!
My husband and I on the trails at the nature’s preserve across the street. It takes a saguaro 50 to 75 years to grow their first arm. I wonder how old these are?
The bottlebrush bush that I posted Friday has many more blooms a few days later.
The bees sure enjoy bottlebrush blooms.
This is a vine growing up and over our front gate. I got an app to identify plants and discovered this is Pyracantha koidzumi, also called Formosan Firethorn.
Formosan Firethorn growing over our front gate.
This will be a beautiful flower soon, but will only last a day. I don’t remember the name of this cactus and the app gave me five choices that don’t fit. It looks like Hedgehog Cactus but the images on google have massive spikes.
Lantana. We had this plant in Palm Springs and it wanted to take over our backyard. I found out that Lantana is considered an invasive species in many places, including neighboring states. I may remove it.
Barrel cactus are blooming, too.
I’ve never seen this Yucca in our front yard bloom before. Amazing!
It has beautiful blossoms.
I’ve also never seen this tree in our courtyard have so many seed pods. My new app calls it Ebony Blackbead.
And finally look at this Silver Torch cactus is busting out all over!
Olive got into my suitcase while I was unpacking and began scratching and biting it. I got her message loud and clear.
After a week home, I’m starting to feel settled. It’s been a super busy week, filled with long to do lists. What is helping me avoid gripping anxiety is morning walks, a few swims at the YMCA and having Olive fall asleep on my lap.
I read an article about cancer the other day in the Wall Street Journal. I learned something new that I feel is valuable to share. Cancer runs in families.
The article was called “Cancer Runs in Families. Too Few Are Getting Tested.”
Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider knew what her father’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis meant for his future. She didn’t realize what it meant for her own cancer risk.
“I had no idea that this was possible for me,” said Ungerleider, 43, an internal medicine doctor and founder of End Well, a nonprofit focused on end-of-life care.
Doctors are recommending genetic tests to more cancer patients and their families. Testing costs have dropped, and the results are helping doctors choose newer targeted drugs and encourage relatives to confront their own cancer risk.
“We can test you for dozens of genes at the same time, and it’s going to influence your treatment,” said Dr. Jewel Samadder, co-leader of the Office of Precision Medicine at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Phoenix.
I’ve had cancer on my mind, obviously after my future DIL was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer and has undergone successful surgery. What this article told me is all too clear. In my DIL’s family several of her sisters were diagnosed and treated for cancer in their 20s and 30s.
I think it would be wise if you have had family members with cancer, to get tested, too.
Here’s more from the article:
Some 10% of cancers are associated with genetic inheritance, including the BRCA mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer risk in the 1990s.BRCA mutations have since been linked to other cancers, and dozens more gene variations have been shown to raise cancer risks.
Doctors have broadened guidelines for who should get tested, including all patients with ovarian, metastatic prostate and pancreatic cancer and some with colorectal and breast. Some are pushing for universal testing after some studies showed that around half of genetic cancer links are missed under standard testing guidance.
Here’s a beauty of a barrel cactus in bloom outside my window.
This roadrunner found a perch to watch the quails in our backyard.
What are your thoughts about cancer running in families? Would you get tested if your parents or siblings had cancer? Would you recommend friends to have testing done?
