Jean Zimmerman

Tag: saguaro

  • Had a little rain last night.

    Really? You don’t say. We’re used to the regular deluge back east, especially lately. But here in the southwest, of course, raindrops are so rare as to be remarkable. There hasn’t been any rain in Phoenix in months. And even when drops do fall, as they did for a bit yesterday, much of it is…

  • Can a saguaro be famous?

    If so, the Michelin Man is. For a famous thing, a desert icon, the Michelin Man isn’t easy to find. Cave Creek Regional Park is barely on the map, and the guy at the nature center has to give a lot of hints about how to get to it. Turn off the main trail at…

  • On the cusp of spring

    the Arizona desert moves itself to sprout. The ocatillo puts forth its first miniature green leaves. Fairy Duster joins the party. Pima Dynamite trails may be full of mountain bikes and power lines, but they go on and on despite humankind’s interference. This preserve was saved from development by a champion named Arthur W. Decabooter.…

  • We are nowhere.

    Nowhere is sometimes beautiful, especially out a car window, roadside nowhere. If you’re in the right mood, that is. We drive north from Scottsdale to Cave Creek and pass pretty much nothing. Isn’t nothing interesting? If you have maybe too much too think about, beefy saguaros in a parking lot can seem pretty cool. Or…