Arguably the single most recognizable icon of our Sonoran Desert is the Saguaro. Towering over other inhabitants of the natural desert landscape, this columnar cactus has come to define our environment. For the people that have called this their home for centuries, the saguaro, and its bounty of sugar-laden fruit, have been woven inextricably into the tapestry of daily life.

Stella Tucker is a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation. She, along with her family, has harvested the fruit from the saguaro for many years and on this day she is helping a group of interested workshop attendees gain a better understanding of this important crop. “My Grandmother use to say that when we picked the fruit we should leave the peel facing up so that it will call for more rain in the new year,” she says. “Because this is really when the new year begins for our people.”

This Saguaro Fruit Harvest workshop is part of the Sonoran Desert Studies Program at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. The workshop, and others like it, are intended to help participants gain a better understanding of the Sonoran Desert.

Jesus Garcia is a Naturalist with the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, and he’s one of the presenters at this workshop that includes hands on activities that allow for a better understanding of the saguaro’s role in this environment.

He says that the end of June is the traditional time for the Tohono O’odham to set up camps amidst the tall stands of saguaro to harvest the fruit. “This fruit, you can see that is completely open,” he says. “And it’s just delicious and ready to eat.”

Ultimately, this educational experience is designed to bridge the gap between our modern world and the way of life of the Tohono O’odham, and to give people an appreciation for the intimate relationship that was developed between the saguaro, it’s yearly bounty of fruit, and the people that call this place home.