IN 1922 a botanist named Godfrey Sykes happened upon a bizarre- looking tree in the Sonoran desert, which stretches from Baja California nearly to the eastern border of Arizona. It resembled a 30-foot-tall upside-down green carrot with tiny, tiny branches. ''Ho, ho, a boojum,'' Mr. Sykes said when he saw the unusual plant. ''Definitely a boojum.'' The unusual tree is still called a boojum, after a creature in ''The Great Snark Hunt,'' a poem by Lewis Carroll about a mythical exploration of a far-off fantasy land.
In Arizona, the harshness that beats down on the Sonoran desert has forged an assortment of bizarre and wonderful life forms. Aside from wet canyons or the occasional spring, green leaves are rare; instead the plants here store their own water, and have sharp thorns to protect them from invaders. They have names like teddybear cholla (CHOY-a) and saguaro (sa-WAHR-oh) and ocotillo. And boojum. Scorpions and javelina, a kind of wild pig, roam the desert. The desert pupfish, which dwells in Arizona's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, is a curious two-inch-long creature that thrives in salt water and can tolerate water temperatures up to 112 degrees.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on the Arizona-Mexico border is a fine slice of the Sonoran, with many representatives of its unusual plants and animals. In a microclimate all its own, the monument receives extremely high rainfall for a desert region - some nine inches a year. Temperatures climb to more than 100 in May and the intense heat lasts until October, making it one of the hottest climates in the country.
While they are abundant in Mexico, in the United States organ pipe cactuses grow only in and around the national monument; its presence is the reason this part of Arizona was declared a national monument by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937. (A national park must be set aside by Congress; a national monument needs only Presidential proclamation.) The organ pipe is a single plant with 10 or 20 stalks, up to 6 or 8 inches across and 15 feet high. The cactuses are so prolific and large and peculiar that they seem a forest of bizarre sculptures. At night, under the blue-white glow of the desert moon, with coyotes crooning in the distance, they look most surreal.
The saguaro grows in abundance here too. Saguaros can grow to be 50 feet tall and live to be 200 years old, a kind of redwood of the desert. Many simply reach straight up, while older ones have arms, often in the classic ''stick-em-up'' pose. Others look like they are praying or waving or beckoning. The surfaces are fluted, with clumps of stickers spaced evenly apart on the ridges. With outstretched arms and rounded ends the cactuses - even with their needles - look like big, friendly creatures.Continue reading the main story
Especially well adapted to the desert, saguaros can endure an 80 percent loss of water when summer is at its fiercest. With a long, labyrinthine root system that grows close to the surface, they can catch any moisture within a large area and store it against long periods of drought. The accordion-like structure of the cactus allows it to swell and store water in its spongy tissues when conditions allow.
The saguaro also can be a gracious host. Many of the cactuses have holes chiseled in the trunks and arms, where elf owls, cactus wren and gila woodpeckers make their homes. After a hole has been made, the cactus forms a hard, woodlike shell around the cut to prevent the loss of moisture. When a saguaro dies, it leaves the shell it formed to seal its wound nearby on the ground. Its signature skeleton also remains, a dozen or so wooden ribs that stand erect long after the flesh has rotted away. The ocotillo grows here too, a cactus with several wood stems up to 30 feet high that grow in a cluster. Small green leaves grow directly out of the branches, flourishing after a rain. The prickly pear cactus is paddle shaped and grows horizontally, close to the ground.
Chollas cactuses are abundant here as well, including the teddy bear cholla and the jumping cholla. Resembling a many-branched candelabrum gone wild, the jumping cholla has a dense set of needles that, with the sunlight behind it, gives it a misleadingly soft, indistinct green aura. I barely brushed one and a large clump of sharp needles separated from the main cactus and pierced my skin deeply. It took several minutes of painful pulling to yank a dozen needles from my arm.
As beautiful as these cactuses and the desert are, anyone who wishes to spend time here must know something about the environment. Most of the year it is unbearably hot. But for a few months in the winter and spring, roughly from November to April, the weather is optimum for humans. A local booster slogan says southern Arizona is where the summer spends the winter. Summer is hellish, and the heat should not be underestimated. Neither should the cactus or poisonous creatures that wander the desert, particularly at night. At the same time, with a little instruction from the visitors center, I was very comfortable hiking some of the few miles of well-marked trails and camping out in the park with Matthew, my 7-year-old son, and Annika, my 3-year-old daughter.
Standing beneath the cool canopy at Quitobaquito Springs, in the south of Organ Pipe, it is no great task, even in the moderate heat of early spring, roughly from the 70's to 80's, to understand how important a sanctuary this must have been for those who survived the difficult journey from Mexico across the El Camino del Diablo - the Devil's Road. In the middle of rolling desert hills there are several precious pools of water that give rise to vegetation that looks lush by comparison - mesquite trees that hang over the water, cattails and even a handful of ducks that swim quietly in a still pond.
The garden of cactuses at Organ Pipe reaches its peak in late spring, after the winter rains have come, flowering in April and May and at its height in June, when it is too hot for most visitors. Large creamy white flowers with yellow centers blossom on the tips of the saguaros. The round, squat barrel cactus grows a crown of butter-yellow flowers while the prickly pear produces a large yellow blossom that resembles a carnation. The night-blooming cereus is a particularly unusual cactus - its small, twiggy stems resemble, at most times, a dead bush. But in the evening the plant blooms with large white flowers much larger than would be expected. The heavy, sweet smell of the cactus flowers floats on the wings of warm desert breezes, and bees and other insects swarm to the perfume.
In July and August another season of rain begins, and thunderstorms sweep across the parched landscape. Rains are sometimes torrential, and rainpools are formed. Toads emerge to mate and lay their eggs in the pools.
Sometimes upsetting the serenity of Organ Pipe are the low-flying jets from nearby Davis Monathan and Luke Air Force Bases, at times seeming to be just a couple of hundred feet off the desert floor. Their flights cause ear-splitting sonic booms and are earth-shaking. But park officials say there is nothing they can do about the flights. The Park Service is studying the problem, one that occurs at many parks throughout the West.
If a trip to the national monument includes a visit to Tucson, you may want to visit one of the two units of Saguaro National Monument, which flank the city. Each is just a few miles outside the city and afford a quick way to immerse yourself in the desert. Forests of saguaros grow in both places, along with many other kinds of cactus.
There are 107 miles of hiking trails at both parks, and a relatively short hike into the mountains can take you through several distinct ecological zones. Each of the national monuments has a short scenic drive that also makes especially nice bicycle trips.
Desert life is secretive, with much of the wildlife living beneath the surface or emerging at night. However, there is a way the casual traveler can pry beneath the surface for a peek at the creatures who live there. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 14 miles west of Tucson in Tucson Mountain Park (telephone 602-883-2702; open 8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M. daily), is one of the finest zoos in the country, a tasteful, minimal intrusion into the desert that takes giant steps toward explaining the wonders and fragility of its bleak and barren terrain.
The small animal house displays creatures many would never see in the desert - a tarantula, wolf spider and boa constrictor, among many others. The outdoor habitat for the large animals is as natural as possible, with the enclosures sculptured out of clay to resemble desert rocks. Desert big-horn sheep climb in one enclosure, while pumas circle a water hole in another. There is also an aviary you can walk through, with quail, doves, gila woodpeckers and flickers flitting or waddling about. All of this is set out in the desert, amid a forest of 40- and 50-foot saguaros, a sweeping valley and a panoramic sweep of mountain ranges in the background.
While the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a celebration of the wonders of desert life, there is another message too. A great many of the interpretive signs end with an explanation that this animal species has vanished, or that one is nearly gone. The swimming pools, golf courses and artificial lakes of this desert region have proliferated at the expense of its flora and fauna.
Sitting on a warm rock in Organ Pipe one evening after dark, I watched the valley of cactus below, the dusty pink that washed the mountains at sunset now a memory.
Near Tucson, Phoenix, Sierra Vista, cactus fall before bulldozers for subdivisions and highways. The theft of cactus to landscape homes is a major problem.
''The deserts have been considered wastelands for too long,'' said Terri Martin, Rocky Mountain regional representative for National Parks and Conservation Association. ''We've dumped our trash and let off-road vehicles destroy these lands. We've pumped out aquifers to support urban areas, which destroys vegetation and dries up oases. Yet people are turning to the desert for its beauty, and its profound sense of timelessness. These two views are coming into conflict. Hopefully, people will see the deserts are just as important as our mountains and seashores.''
A VISITOR'S GUIDE TO THE DESERT
Even in the spring you must carry plenty of water on hikes in the desert. At night carry a flashlight to avoid encounters with such night hunters as rattlesnakes, Gila monsters and scorpions. Flash floods can roar without notice through dry washes on a sunny day.
There are not many amenities for travelers to Organ Pipe National Monument. There are some motels in Ajo, the nearest town, 24 miles north, and a couple of small-town cafes. There is the tiny border town of Lukeville, near the customs station on the Mexican-United States border, five miles from the main campground in the park, with a restaurant, motel and grocery store. Most visitors to Organ Pipe camp in tents or in recreational vehicles. It costs $3 to enter Organ Pipe; people over 65 are admitted free. Camping is $6 a day, $3 for seniors.
There are 208 sites for recreational vehciles and tents that, during the peak season, resembles Trailer City. There are restrooms and water but no hook-ups for recreational vehicles. There are only four sites for tents only. All camping is on a first-come-first-served basis. Personnel at the visitors center are happy to answer any questions, and there is an interpretive display and bookstore. It is open from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. seven days a week.
If you visit in the winter or spring, arrive early in the day to claim a camping spot.
For supplies or accommodations, try Ajo. The Marine Motel (602-387-7626) is probably the best bet. Nothing fancy, but the rooms have color televisions and telephones. A single is $45, two people sharing a double bed $48, and two people in single beds is $54. Reservations are advisable. The only decent restaurant in town the Copper Coffee Shop. It is a greasy spoon that actually serves pretty good cafe food. Don't worry about reservations. It's open 6 A.M. to 10 P.M. seven days days a week.
At the Saguaro National Monument, there is back-country camping in Rincon Mountain, with six camping areas. A permit is required at the visitors center, but there is no fee. The center is open from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. every day. There are seven picnic areas and two automobile loop drives. There are also two self-guiding nature trails, one at each district. $3 a vehicle, $1 a person walking or riding a bike. - J. R.Continue reading the main story