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 Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

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Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.61

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    digestive, droppings, lifetime, national, entire, span, interesting, adult, coyote, beauty, natural, nurse, become, appreciate, life, during
     content words:    National Park

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Saguaro National Park
By Meg Leonard 		  
1     Saguaro ("Sah-wah-roh") National Park is in Arizona. The park protects giant saguaros. These are huge cacti. Most people think of the saguaro when they think of a cactus in the West. The park has two parts. The city of Tucson, Arizona, is in between both parts. One part of the park is on the west side of Tucson. The other part is on the east side. Visitors can appreciate the beauty of the saguaros by visiting this national park.
 
2     The saguaro has an interesting life cycle. It grows very slowly. In the first eight years of its life, it only grows a total of 1 to 1 1/2 inches. The saguaro lives under a nurse tree. This taller, older tree protects the young saguaro. When a saguaro is between 50-70 years old, it may begin to grow branches. Some do not start growing branches until they are 100 years old. An adult saguaro is 125 years old. The average life span of a saguaro is 150-175 years. Some may live to be over 200 years old.

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