![]() ![]() If we were able to look into the flower we might be startled to see the anthers move without the aid of wind or other devices. Arizona�s state flower, the saguaro blossom, is no exception�it draws bats, bees, flies and beetles to its rich smorgasbord. ![]() Normally, this beetle feeds on cholla or prickly pear cacti, but like many other of Nature�s creatures, it takes advantage of the young and relatively defenseless.įlowers act as attractants to much of the animal world, whether with beauty, odor, or food. Is slow, a jet-black, longhorn beetle, Moneilema gigas, may find a seedling saguaro and consume it. ![]() This minute rhinoceros beetle is an artist-in-residence, creating mini-designs of intricate form, although unfortunately it is usually unseen by an appreciative audience. Beneath some of the slightly hardened calluses of the boots, a small, horned scolytid beetle, Cactopinus hubbardi, sculpts galleries. These holes heal and become the familiar �boots,� nesting sites for the woodpeckers and later for other birds such as Elf Owls. The Gila Woodpecker and Gilded Flicker, however, peck holes into the saguaro, creating new niches for themselves and for other desert dwellers. Most insects associated with the living saguaro do little damage to the cactus. Tunnels up the stems under extreme environmental conditions. Herbivores with its tough outer skin and latticework of spines, although packrats are known to eat spiral Watching over the scrub-like flora from its lofty height, this �sentinel of the desert�appears ![]()
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