Iconic cactus believed to be nearly 200 years old falls victim to heavy Arizona rain
An giant desert cactus estimated to be nearly two centuries old has fallen victim to torrential rain in Arizona.
The iconic saguaro stood near the Romero Ruins trail in Tucson’s Catalina State Park, a strategic location that made it a popular subject for photographers and artists.
Arizona State Parks believes it began growing around 1822, which likely made it older than 26 of the 50 states and the presidency of Andrew Jackson.
“It was definitely a beloved cactus. It is one of the most accessible and easy to see in the park, although there are others that are probably about that old and that big,” Michelle Thompson, chief of communications for Arizona State Parks, told McClatchy News in a statement.
“We lost it in August ... which was a big monsoon season for us. The area got 12 inches of rain over the season.”
The cactus tumbled off the trail, allowing it to “stay where it landed, providing habitat and food for many creatures as it decomposes,” Catalina State Park reported.
Saguaro are the nation’s largest cacti and count as “the universal symbol of the American west,” according to the National Park Service. They live 150 to 200 years, stand 40 to 60 feet tall and can weigh as much as 4,800 pounds, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum reports.
Catalina State Park is “5,500 acres of foothills, canyons and streams” and has an estimated 5,000 saguaros, the state reports.
The park’s announcement of the plant’s demise ignited social media, racking up more than 2,100 reactions and comments within 16 hours.
Many shared tributes, including photos and paintings of the cactus.
“It truly is sad. To live for that long,” Connie Cornelia Merth posted.
“Imagine if it could talk ... what it had seen in those 200 years,” Chet Ragsdale wrote on the Arizona Game & Fish Department Facebook page.
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 6:31 AM with the headline "Iconic cactus believed to be nearly 200 years old falls victim to heavy Arizona rain."