Giant Saguaro cactus with lightning bolts intertwined in black and white. This is one of my favorite images. Timed exposure. Saguaros have a very long life span. The saguaro is a large, tree-sized cactus species . It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and an extremely small area of California. They take up to 75 years to develop one side arm. Some may live for more than 150 years.