Saguaro cacti, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona Aug. 31, 2023

Saguaro cacti, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona

Massive succulents against a mountainous backdrop, underneath the sun-kissed sky—it"s prickly perfection. Pictured here are saguaro (pronounced "sah-wah-roh") cacti at Arizona"s Ironwood Forest National Monument in the Sonoran Desert of North America. Even if you haven"t seen one in person, when you hear the word cactus, you"re probably thinking of saguaro—tall, green, cylindrical, with arms pointing upward. Though they are slow growers, these plants have been known to live over 200 years and reach enormous heights, with one setting the record at 23.8 metres. Another saguaro cactus, known as "Grandaddy," survived in the sweltering desert for about 300 years, eventually succumbing to old age in the early 1990s. Cacti may not be for everyone, but they tend to grow on you (figuratively, of course)!

© Jack Dykinga/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

How sweet to be a star, floating in the blue.
Aug. 31, 2024Rocks and sand in the Sahara, Algeria
Aug. 31, 2025Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering, Nebraska, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun. 2, 2024Annas hummingbird
Jul. 4, 2025Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower
Dec. 28, 2025Black-and-white ruffed lemur in Madagascar
May 26, 2024Methow Valley, North Cascades, Washington
May 3, 2025Happy International Astronomy Day!
May 8, 2025World Donkey Day
Nature at its colourful best
Nov. 9, 2023Birch trees, Drammen, Norway
Jul. 10, 2024Collared aracari
Mar. 28, 2024Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China
Feb. 9, 2024Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia
Apr. 26, 2024Val di Funes, Italy
May 2, 2025Striated heron on a Victoria water lily, Pantanal, Brazil
A bridge that holds up history
Desert daggers?
Jan. 5, 2025Plum-headed parakeet
Dec. 25, 2025Merry Christmas!
Aug. 21, 2025Wheatear, Peak District National Park, England
Dec. 4, 2024Wildlife Conservation Day
Jan. 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Aug. 9, 2024International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
Nov. 4, 2023American bison
For Mother’s Day, we salute these marsupial moms
Mar. 31, 2025Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
May the 4th be with you
Oct. 2, 2024Autumn in the Ogilvie Mountains, Yukon
Turtle-y nice day for a swim
Nov. 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Dec. 26, 2023Happy Boxing Day!
The road less taken?