Saguaros blooming in November? AZ national park biologists puzzled over confusing cacti

Saguaros were spotted blooming again this fall in Arizona, and biologists still don’t have an explanation.

The massive cacti typically bloom in May and June, but visitors saw some with white flowers on Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Pink Hill Trail in the eastern part of Saguaro National Park.

Blooming cacti were also seen near the Red Hills Visitor Center on the western side of the park, officials said.

Biologists said the saguaros blooming during November is strange, a spokesperson for the park service told McClatchy News in an email.

But “no one knows for sure” why it’s happening, officials said.

The phenomenon isn’t completely new, though.

Saguaros began blooming in the Tucson area in the fall of 2018, catching biologists’ attention, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

“I’ve lived in Tucson for 30 years, and this seemed unusual to me,” Saguaro National Park biologist Don Swann told the news outlet in 2020. “It seemed unusual to just about everyone I’ve talked to.”

A blooming outbreak was documented in the spring of 2021 as well, McClatchy News reported.

Biologists are now studying the out-of-season blooming.

Park officials asked the public to take photos of any saguaros bearing red, ripe fruit — and to post the location of it.

Saguaros, which grow up to 80 feet tall, start to produce flowers when they are about 35 years old, and they can live as long as 150 to 175 years old.

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