Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona, USA Aug 31, 2023

Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona, USA

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

Aug 31, 2024Sahara, Algeria
Aug 31, 2025Scotts Bluff National Monument

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 2, 2024Alpine marmot
Nov 6, 2024Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park, Washington, USA
Mar 11, 2024Koala sleeping in a eucalyptus tree
Nov 12, 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Aug 28, 2025Great white egret, Hungary
Mar 19, 2025A black heron canopy hunting in Botswana
Dec 14, 2023Boreal owl
May 15, 2024The Blue City of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Apr 11, 2026Papagayo Beach, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
Dec 9, 2023Guanacos, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Sep 5, 2024Toronto, Canada
Aug 3, 2025Sunflowers
Mar 22, 2026Lake Tanganyika, Africa
Aug 22, 2023Amphitheatre of El Jem, Tunisia
Feb 16, 2024Pyrrhuloxia bird
Aug 25, 2023Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Dec 24, 2024Half-timbered Houses of Freudenberg, Germany
Mar 1, 2025Aurora borealis over Spirit Island on Maligne Lake, Canada
Feb 21, 2024Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Feb 5, 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Dec 19, 2024Sibiu Christmas Market, Romania
Oct 14, 2024Coco Beach, Goa, India
May 14, 2025Porto Flavia, Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sardinia, Italy
Jun 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Mar 26, 2024Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam
Feb 19, 2025European river otter
Nov 3, 2025Jellyfish, Guerrero, Mexico
Sep 11, 2023Sunrise at a vineyard in Bordeaux, France
Jun 19, 2024Water tower in Cuxhaven, Germany
Jun 20, 2024Kokino, North Macedonia