Christian Ziegler - Photojournalist

I’m really happy to announce that our story about the Saguaro Cactus in El Pinacate, Mexico, is out in National Geographic Magazine. We had so much fun shooting this story in the desert with @victor_ammann @batmanmedellin.

Cacti are keystone species in desert habitats providing food and shelter to a wealth of animals. Bats, hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and moths all visit cactus flowers to drink nectar and disperse the flower’s pollen. Pollination is crucial for plants, especially in the desert where pollinators are few and far between. These cacti bloom with large, fragrant flowers that attract the rare visitors they need to thrive.

But did you know that humans too have used cacti for thousands of years for food, building materials and even hallucinogens? However, our relationship with cacti has shifted and today many cacti are critically endangered due to unsustainable collection, habitat loss and climate change.