The saguaro cactus is the iconic plant of the Arizona borderlands, and in June and early July, its fruit ripens. For the Tohono O'odham Nation, harvest time for the “bahidaj," or saguaro fruit ...

The saguaro cactus is the iconic plant of the Arizona borderlands, and in June and early July, its fruit ripens TUCSON, Ariz. -- Cousins Tanisha Tucker Lohse and Maria Francisco set off from their ...

The saguaro cactus is the iconic plant of the Arizona borderlands, and in June and early July, its fruit ripens. For the Tohono O'odham Nation, harvest time for the “bahidaj” ...

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The saguaro cactus is the iconic plant of the Arizona borderlands, and in June and early July, its thorn-covered small fruit ripens.

An umbrella is used to catch fresh fruit picked from a saguaro cactus during a harvest season day by the Tohono Oʼodham people in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

Tanisha Tucker Lohse, of the Tohono Oʼodham nation, picks a ripe saguaro cactus fruit during a harvest day in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Ariz., on Monday, June 23, 2025.

Tanisha Tucker Lohse, of the Tohono Oʼodham nation, opens the ripe fruit from a saguaro cactus during harvest picking season in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Ariz., on Monday, June 23, 2025.

Saguaro cactus fruit juice cools after boiling it into a syrup on a harvest day for the Tohono Oʼodham people in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Ariz., on Monday, June 23, 2025.