Clues

Your quest will begin

Once you've reached the big rock

The direction you will go

Is often called counter-clock

Use the list of facts

Of the animals and plants

And fill in the blanks

Once you get a chance

1. The first desert plant

A cactus of some sort

Has the name of an animal

That might oink or snort

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2. Keep your eyes open

For the plant you will see

On your right hand side

Resembles a thorn-covered tree

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. This popular woody shrub

Can reach 25 feet tall

Its leaves it will shed

In the dry season of fall

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4. Smell these green leaves

And they will smell like rain

The Native American tribes

Used this plant to cure pain

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

5. You can identify this cactus

As it is tall and narrow

It can be covered in flowers

And is shaped like a barrel

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

6. My arms stretch out wide

I am big, brown, and fuzzy

But please be aware

I'm a cactus, don't hug me!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

7. This messy brown plant

Is different from the rest

It grows in the trees

And resembles a bird's nest

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

8. Its bark is dark yellow

Its leaves are bright green

As you walk along the path

Two rows will be seen

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

9. My short rounded pads

Help to identify me most

The jelly made from my flowers

Will taste good on your toast

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

10. This cactus may have arms

And can grow very tall

It blooms our state flower

And is most popular of all

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The Hedgehog Cactus can grow in clusters of up to 60 cylindrical stems, each up to 1 foot tall. Its stems are covered with a thick, waxy cuticle.

The Chain Fruit Cholla, also called the "jumping cholla," has small sections of cactus which fall off when touched and easily become attached to animals.

Think of a few ways this may help the cactus to survive and spread itself.

The Creosote Bush is one of the oldest living plants in the Sonoran Desert. The plant produces a smell much like the creosote tar after rain.

Barrel cacti often lean toward the southwest, giving it a swirly shape. It has been hypothesized that the cactus does this to reduce the amount of direct sunlight that shines on it.

Can you think of why this would be a necessary adaptation in order to live in the Sonoran Desert?

Teddy Bear Cholla is widespread and abundant in the warmest parts of the Mohave Desert and the hotter, drier parts of the mainland Sonoran Desert.

The Palo Verde tree is a primary nurse plant for the Saguaro Cactus. It uses its canopy to protect plants from the sun.

Desert Mistletoe can grow very large, and gets much of its nutrients from the sap found inside of the Palo Verde Tree.

The braches of an Ocotillo plant are said to look like tentacles of an octopus, hence one of its common names: octopus cactus.

Did you notice that all of the Ocotillo plants have no leaves? That's because their leaves fall off when it gets too hot outside.

The juicy fruits of the Prickly Pear ripen during the summer and are eaten by rabbits, packrats, havelina, deer, squirrels, numerous birds, desert tortoises, and cactus beetles.

A Saguaro Cactus may begin to grow arms when the plant is between 50 and 100 years old. It is the largest cactus in the United States.