Saguaros do not have many natural enemies. The biggest threat to the Name saguaro is human contact. Many have been cut down so people can build houses. This national park gives the saguaro protection. People can also enjoy the saguaros by visiting the park when they are in Tucson. Saguaro National Park By Meg Leonard Saguaro National Park Saguaro ("Sah-wah-roh") Questions National Park is in Arizona. The park protects giant saguaros. These are huge 1. Where is Saguaro National Park? cacti. Most people think of A. California the saguaro when they think B. Arizona of a cactus in the West. The C. Florida park has two parts. The city D. Hawaii of Tucson, Arizona, is in between both parts. One 2. What is a saguaro? part of the park is on the A. a tree west side of Tucson. The B. a bush other part is on the east C. a weed side. Visitors can appreciate the beauty of the saguaros by visiting this D. a cactus national park. 3. How old is a saguaro when it gets branches? The saguaro has an interesting life cycle. It grows very slowly. In the first eight years of its life, it only grows a total of 1 to 1 1/2 inches. A. 8 years old The saguaro lives under a nurse tree. This taller, older tree protects the B. 200 years old young saguaro. When a saguaro is between 50-70 years old, it may C. 35 years old begin to grow branches. Some do not start growing branches until D. 50-70 years old they are 100 years old. An adult saguaro is 125 years old. The average life span of a saguaro is 150-175 years. Some may live to be over 200 4. How old is the saguaro when it grows flowers? years old. A. 10 years old B. 35 years old When the saguaro is 35 years old, it will start to produce flowers. C. 200 years old They form on the top of the trunk and (later) on the arms. They are D. 100 years old large, creamy white flowers. The flowers open at night and close by the next afternoon. The flowers must be pollinated during this short 5. Which of the following pairs of animals help the saguaro time. Pollination turns flowers into fruit. A coyote or cactus wren reproduce? must eat the fruit. The seeds pass through their digestive systems. The seeds are not digested. The seeds are spread through the desert in the A. coyote and cactus wren animals' droppings. If a dove or quail eats the seeds, the seed will not B. dove and cactus wren grow. The digestive systems of doves and quail use the entire seed. A C. coyote and dove saguaro can produce 40 million seeds in its lifetime. Few of these D. dove and quail become seedlings. Even fewer become adult saguaros. Write a story about a person who lives as long as a saguaro. Name 6. Describe how a saguaro reproduces. Write a story from the point of view of a giant saguaro..