A Cactus Called Saguaro Standing ten metres tall against a setting sun, the most famous silhouette featured in Hollywood films of the Wild West is in fact a living home. Embraced in its prickly arms or tucked into a multitude of holes are some of the real wildlife of the Sonora Desert - hawks, pack rats, rattlesnakes, bats, black widow spiders and one of the smallest owls in the world. Its flowers and fruits feed both animals and the Papago Indians who gave it a name. But, as the lure of the West increasingly attracts people to live there, this star of the range is in danger of being pushed off the set.
Narrated by Barry Paine
Photographed and produced by WOLFGANG BAYER
Television presentation BARRY PAINE Series editor PETER JONES BBC Bristol