Saguaros showing off their white blossoms

The Sonoran Desert’s most famous cactus — the saguaro — gets plenty of attention by virtue of its sheer size, but this week it’s amping up its star power with brilliant blooms.

Milky white blossoms are adorning saguaros in neighborhoods and nature preserves across the Tucson metro area from Sabino Canyon to Saguaro National Park — and probably that street where you take your morning walk as well.

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A visitor brochure from Saguaro National Park describes the saguaro bloom this way: “Each blossom opens in the cool of the night a few hours after the sunset. By the next afternoon, the flower has wilted and the brief period of bloom ended. The spectacle repeats itself night after night for about four weeks until as many as 100 flowers have appeared on each saguaro.”