Nevada

Do saguaros grow in Las Vegas? It’s complicated

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2024

Do saguaros grow in Las Vegas? It’s complicated

If you’ve ever wandered into a Las Vegas souvenir shop, you’ve likely seen some Las Vegas T-shirt or trinket with a saguaro cactus — an iconic Southwestern motif recognized by its large arms and tall, slender stature.

Saguaros on Las Vegas merchandise isn’t just a faux pas with the mom-and-pop souvenir shops you might walk by along the Strip. The NFL even put saguaros on T-shirts and earrings for the 2024 Super Bowl.

Folks new to Las Vegas might be surprised to find out that the cactuses — which can grow to be as much as 50 to 70 feet tall — can’t be found in Southern Nevada’s desert.

So, why don’t the quiet giants grow around Las Vegas like they do in Phoenix?

The short answer: It’s too dry and too cold for them here.

The Sonoran Desert, which extends from southern Arizona south into the Sonora and Baja California, Mexico, and the far, eastern edge of California near the Colorado River, is the only place on Earth where you’ll find saguaros.

Somewhere south of Kingman, Arizona, lies the transition zone between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. The Mojave Desert extends from central Nevada to northeastern Arizona and from southeastern California to southwestern Utah.

Peter Breslin, a plant ecology researcher at the University of Arizona’s Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill in Tucson, says saguaros need several years of mild, wet summers and winters for them to develop and establish themselves — conditions the plant can hardly find in the Mojave.

Las Vegas averages about 4 inches of rain a year, but Tucson, home of Saguaro National Park, gets over twice as much. The species also hates frost, and can even be killed by long periods of freezing temperatures that can occur periodically in the Mojave Desert, Breslin said.

“There’s conditions just northwest of Kingman (Arizona) that saguaros just haven’t adapted to that relate to both being more dry and colder,” Breslin said.

When saguaros do try to naturally grow close to the Mojave, like they do along the California-Arizona border, they often look “beat up and dried out,” and grow much slower than the ones farther east in southern Arizona, Breslin said.

“That just shows you sort of the narrow range of conditions that the saguaros are adapted to,” he said.

Growing saguaros in Southern Nevada

Though they don’t grow naturally in the Mojave, saguaros can still be used for landscaping in Las Vegas.

Breslin said they need a lot more water than what the environment here naturally provides and must be an already established plant before moving to someone’s yard.

Saguaros cultivated in Nevada also get used to the Nevada temperatures, and with supplemental water can survive in the Mojave’s drier climate.

“When people put them at their house or in landscaping, they’ve already gone through the establishment phase and they can adjust to the lower amounts of water in the Mojave,” he said.

Saguaros also need enough room for their roots to keep themselves up. Breslin recommends saguaro owners give their plant a 10-foot radius, some loosened up soil and some two-by-fours and a blanket to secure the plant while it gets adjusted to its new environment.

Owners should also figure out where the warmest and coldest parts of their yard are, and plant the saguaro somewhere warm — preferably with the plant south-facing near a wall — to help the plant be more frost-resistant, he said.

Why people choose to spend hundreds of dollars on a plant that isn’t supposed to grow in Las Vegas remains up for debate, but Breslin says the reason why he believes people love saguaros across the Southwest is likely because they look like people with their large arms and upright bodies.

“They have a very whimsical kind of noticeable appearance that perhaps we can identify with as upright mammals,” he joked.

Saguaros also have significant spiritual and cultural significance to Arizona’s indigenous Tohono O’odham people, whose calendar begins with the month when saguaro fruit is harvested at the beginning of the summer monsoon season.

“Perhaps we use these symbols, even when they don’t grow where they are, because we identify, or feel some kind of kinship.”

Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com.

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Nevada

Travel Nevada Presents The Neon in Nature Series, Featuring Artwork by DARIUSTWIN, at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, January 15 – April 6, 2026

Published

8 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Travel Nevada Presents The Neon in Nature Series, Featuring Artwork by DARIUSTWIN, at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, January 15 – April 6, 2026

Nevada Division of Tourism

Unique exhibition marks DARIUSTWIN’s first museum show in the U.S.

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / Travel Nevada is proud to present The Neon in Nature Series, which features artwork by light painting photographer and animator Darren Pearson (better known as DARIUSTWIN)at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, beginning January 15, 2026. The exhibition is DARIUSTWIN’s first U.S. museum show. To celebrate the exhibition opening, Travel Nevada will pay admission fees for the first 200 guests to arrive directly at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

Created exclusively in Nevada, The Neon in Nature Series captures just some of the stunning landscapes and striking night skies that you’ll find in Nevada when you get a little out there – all juxtaposed with DARIUSTWIN’s signature light paintings infused with and inspired by Nevada character (and characters). The exhibition will inspire museum guests to visit the Nevada ghost towns, state parks, historical landmarks, and more that take center stage in this unique, vibrant, and whimsical exhibition.

“Nevada’s diverse surroundings and dark night skies provided an ideal backdrop to compose this series,” said DARIUSTWIN. “I’m grateful to the Travel Nevada team for commissioning the work and to the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, for housing my very first museum exhibition in the country. I’m hopeful that it will encourage museum guests to travel throughout Nevada, which I found was so rich in history and ripe with adventure opportunities.”

“When the Travel Nevada team first saw DARIUSTWIN’s work, we immediately knew that a partnership with him would inspire people to get a little out there in the state. The Neon in Nature Series is a creative take on what makes Nevada special,” said Rafael Villanueva, chief executive officer of Travel Nevada. “Additionally, we’re thrilled that this exhibition will be housed in the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. We share a mission with the museum to enhance the quality of life for Nevada’s visitors and residents, and what better place to host The Neon in Nature series than a city whose history is intertwined with neon?”

The Neon in Nature Series, Presented by Travel Nevada will be on view at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas through April 6, 2026.

“The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is delighted to host this art- and Nevada-focused installation by DARIUSTWIN,” said Hollis J. Gillespie, director of the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. “The Neon in Nature Series exemplifies our mission of educating the public about the history and natural history of the state, and it does so in an electrifying way. We look forward to sharing it with our visitors.”

EDITORS:  Select high-resolution images from The Neon in Nature Series, Presented by Travel Nevada are available here. Photo credit for all images: “Photo courtesy of Travel Nevada/DARIUSTWIN. ©️ 2024 DARIUSTWIN.”

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About Travel Nevada

The heart of Nevada shines through Travel Nevada, an organization focused on sharing the experiences, landmarks and living legends that make the Silver State a one-of-a-kind destination. Through community collaborations and strategic partnerships, we aim to connect with both locals and visitors alike, showcasing the sometimes-surprising, always-exciting treasures that keep people coming to Nevada. It’s theirs to explore-and ours to safekeep, from preserving our wild-at-heart way of life to our wide-open spaces. For more information, visit TravelNevada.com.

About the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas

Founded in 1982, the mission of the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, serves to educate a diverse public about the history and natural history of Nevada. The museum collects, preserves, exhibits, and disseminates material that contributes to an understanding and appreciation of the state. For more information, visit https://www.lasvegasnvmuseum.org/

About DARIUSTWIN

Darren Pearson, known as DARIUSTWIN, is a light painting photographer and animator whose glowing creations have illuminated landscapes around the world. Using long-exposure photography and custom crafted LED lights, Darren “paints” with light in real time, creating skeletal figures, dinosaurs, aliens, and fantastical characters that exist for only a moment before disappearing into the night. His work has been featured by National Geographic, Intel, Honda, and Apple, among others.

Based in Southern California, Darren has been creating light paintings for more than a decade, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, one exposure at a time. See more at dariustwin.com and follow @dariustwin.

Contact:
Tracie Barnthouse, Chief Communications Officer
tbarnthouse@travelnevada.com; 775-624-0618

SOURCE: Nevada Division of Tourism

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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Nevada

Nevada gets thrilling overtime win against Wyoming at home 70-60

Published

21 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Nevada gets thrilling overtime win against Wyoming at home 70-60

RENO, Nev. (Nevada Athletics) – Nevada Women’s Basketball won its second straight game Wednesday night, getting a thrilling 70-60 overtime win against Wyoming at Lawlor Events Center.

Reigning Old Trapper Mountain West Freshman of the Week Skylar Durley led the Pack (6-9, 2-3 MW) in scoring with 18 points and led both teams in rebounds with a career high 14, recording her first double-double of her career.

Ahrray Young went 5-for-10 from the field for 11 points to go with eight boards.

Nevada’s resilience in the latter part of the fourth, which was punctuated by a key block from Young, forced the game into overtime.

The Pack’s shutdown defense held Wyoming (4-10, 1-4 MW) at bay in the final five, only allowing one point off of a free throw.

On the other end, the offense of Nevada went on a 6-0 run and shot 83.3 percent from the field.

Nevada outscored Wyoming 11-1 and held the Cowgirls without a field goal in OT.

The Pack opened regulation in perfect fashion, shooting a 7-for-7 from the field, 2-for-2 from three and 2-for-2 from the line in the first five minutes of action.

Nevada had a 10-0 run that was capitalized by holding Wyoming to a two-and-a-half minute scoring drought.

Through the first quarter, Nevada shot 64.3 percent and remained perfect from both deep and free throws.

Nevada’s hot start simmered in the second, only getting six points and closing the quarter on a field goal drought of just under four minutes.

Meanwhile, Wyoming’s shooting improved from the first, closing the gap to two.

Despite the slower quarter, Nevada carried its lead into the second half, 45-41.

The third quarter was nearly even, Nevada only shooting slightly better and outscoring Wyoming, 15-14.

The game stayed close through the fourth with three ties and four lead changes, leading to extra time.

As a team, the Pack outrebounded the Cowgirls, 40-28, and had 24 bench points to their six.

Nevada will hit the road and look to even its conference record as it faces New Mexico Saturday at 12 p.m.

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Nevada

Centennial vs. Liberty: Watch Nevada girls high school basketball showdown live

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Centennial vs. Liberty: Watch Nevada girls high school basketball showdown live

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The defending 5A state champion Centennial Bulldogs (7-3) open conference play with a challenging road test Wednesday night when they travel to Henderson to face the Liberty Patriots (10-7) in a Nevada 5A Southern basketball clash.

Coach Karen Weitz’s Bulldogs, seeking their second consecutive state title, will rely on their formidable frontcourt duo of forwards Nation Williams and Inieye Oruh, complemented by standout guard Sanai Branch. They will face a Patriots squad that has shown marked improvement under head coach Lorenzo Jarvis, powered by senior leaders Samantha Chesnut and Kiana Harworth alongside junior standout Neviah Nick.

With Liberty’s home court advantage potentially neutralizing Centennial’s championship pedigree, this early conference matchup could set the tone for both teams’ title aspirations in the competitive 5A Southern division.

Opening tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday, January 7 with a live TV broadcast on NFHS Network.

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