Jonathan Cohen's photos

Aloe dichotoma, the quiver tree or kokerboom, is a tall, branching species of succulent plant, indigenous to Southern Africa, specifically in the Northern Cape region of South Africa, and parts of Southern Namibia. Known as choje to the indigenous San people, the quiver tree gets its English common name from the San people practice of hollowing out the tubular branches of Aloe dichotoma to form quivers for their arrows.

In the arid Arizona desert, where cacti thrive but trees are scarce, the Gila Woodpecker and this Gilded Flicker carve out nest cavities in living saguaros. Tall, old saguaros may be pocked with twenty or more nest holes, bearing witness to decades of woodpecker families. The woodpeckers excavate a new nest every year, leaving the old, now-empty cavities behind. But they don’t stay empty for long. Elf Owls, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls, Purple Martins, and Brown-crested Flycatchers all find the slightly used woodpecker cavities superb nest sites. Saguaros benefit wildlife in other ways too, providing nectar and fruit for birds, bats, and insects. These majestic cacti are now protected by law in much of the Southwest, so that desert habitats and wildlife will not be deprived of an essential and iconic natural resource.

Stetsonia is a genus of cactus, with the sole species Stetsonia coryne, the toothpick cactus. The plant is native to the deserts of Argentina and Bolivia. Stetsonia coryne grows to a height of 15 to 25 ft (4.6 to 7.6 m) tall. It has white flowers. The genus was named to honor Francis Lynde Stetson, a New York attorney and plant lover.