Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona, USA Aug 31, 2023

Massive succulents against a mountainous backdrop, underneath the sun-kissed sky—it"s prickly perfection. Pictured here are saguaro (pronounced "sah-wah-roh") cacti at Arizona"s Ironwood Forest National Monument in the Sonoran Desert of North America. Even if you haven"t seen one in person, when you hear the word cactus, you"re probably thinking of saguaro—tall, green, cylindrical, with arms pointing upward. Though they are slow growers, these plants have been known to live over 200 years and reach enormous heights, with one setting the record at 23.8 metres. Another saguaro cactus, known as "Grandaddy," survived in the sweltering desert for about 300 years, eventually succumbing to old age in the early 1990s. Cacti may not be for everyone, but they tend to grow on you (figuratively, of course)!

© Jack Dykinga/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

Aug 31, 2024Sahara, Algeria
Aug 31, 2025Scotts Bluff National Monument

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 18, 2026Przewalskis horses
Mar 7, 2026Snowy owl near the Canadian Rockies
Feb 7, 2025Blue hour in Trondheim, Norway
May 22, 2024Tasmanian snow gum, Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Dec 23, 2025Lagazzuolo Lake, Valmalenco, Lombardy, Italy
Sep 11, 2023Sunrise at a vineyard in Bordeaux, France
Apr 12, 2025View from the cupola of the International Space Station
Aug 15, 2024Hang Sơn Đoòng, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Vietnam
May 21, 2025Tea garden at Yangjiatang Village, Songyang County, China
Oct 8, 2023Veined octopus
Nov 27, 2024Tombeau du Géant in Bouillon, Belgium
Apr 23, 2024Library of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Sep 7, 2024Annas hummingbird
Jan 3, 2025Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College, University of Oxford, England
Oct 30, 2024Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy
Jun 28, 2025Mannheim Water Tower, Germany
Aug 26, 2024Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
Jan 14, 2026Fortress of Palamidi, Nafplio, Greece
Jun 17, 2025Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, United States
Aug 20, 2025The citadel in Bonifacio, Southern Corsica, France
Feb 11, 2026Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park, California, USA
Feb 9, 2026Amur leopard cat, Russia
Feb 26, 2026Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, Arizona, United States
Mar 16, 2026Cable car and Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Aug 25, 2025Calcite Springs Overlook and Yellowstone River, Wyoming, United States
Jul 27, 2024Vineyards above the Moselle River, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Dec 28, 2025Black-and-white ruffed lemur
Feb 12, 2024Galápagos tortoise
Sep 26, 2024Blue-throated toucanet, Costa Rica
May 15, 2024The Blue City of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India