Phoenix’s iconic saguaros, a towering trademark of the Sonoran Desert landscape, were already stressed; this summer s historic heat turned out to be the cactus needle that broke the camel’s back.
After recording the warmest monthly average temperature for any U.S. city ever in July, Phoenix climbed back up to dangerously high temperatures Wednesday. Residents across the sprawling metro are finding the extended extreme heat has led to fried flora, and have shared photos and video of their damaged cacti with the Desert Botanical Garden. Nurseries and landscapers are inundated with requests for help with saguaros or fruit trees that are losing leaves.
After recording the warmest monthly average temperature for any U.S. city ever in July, Phoenix is poised to climb back up to dangerously high temperatures this week. That could mean trouble not just for people but for some plants, too