We humans generally avoid the desert unless we happen to be one of that strange breed called the "desert rat." Since the 1960's the Sonoran Desert, of southern Arizona, has experienced an infestation of this vermin. Refugees from the north are retiring in swarms to an irrigated, climate-controlled desert, of "perpetual sunshine, 72 degrees, and golf," smack dab out of the brochure. There seems no limit to the human homing instinct.

The Sonoran is as desert as they come, totally useless, utterly worthless, and, to some, the most beautiful place on earth. With summer heat approaching 200 degrees at ground level and rainfall comparable to any respectable desert, she spreads herself more or less equally between the U.S. and Mexico. You can find her in California, Arizona, and the Mexican state of Sonora, 100,000 square miles of cactus badlands. But this is not a desert of endless dunes or salt flats. This is a living desert, with giant saguaros, and boomtowns like Phoenix and Hermosillo. And as any desert should be, the Sonoran is rife with things that can stick, sting, bite, or burn. Like the cactus, scorpion, rattlesnake, and sunshine.

With "rainy seasons" (a few inches) in both winter and summer the Sonoran is the most botanically diverse desert in the world, with more than 2,000 species. And without a doubt the star of this stellar cast is the giant saguaro cactus, found only in this desert. The enduring symbol of southern Arizona, it can grow to a height of 60 feet, weigh tons, and live for centuries, truly a plant of superlatives. Not only that, a saguaro's graceful stature and artistic arms make it seem almost human, even friendly, and definitely photogenic. Indians believe the saguaro is a human in another form, and with their perpetual "stick 'em up" silhouette, it's hard to argue. (next photograph)