Scenes from some of my hiking journeys over the years in the Sonoran Desert.
A view from near Usury Mountain, on the east side of Phoenix. The saguaro, with its endless combinations of arms, is one of the plants that make this desert so special.
This particular cactus is one of the largest I have seen and is truly majestic.
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The Superstition Mountains are part of the Transition Zone in Arizona. Just slightly above the volcanic Basin and Range of the lower desert and not yet up on top of the Mogollon Rim of the high country to the north.
Lots of volcanic ash in these mountains and the rock is a bit more crumbly than usual for Arizona. Here a saguaro poses near an eroded window for an extra touch of scenic beauty, combining both the distinct geology and flora of Arizona.
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This phenomenon, of a larger plant providing shade for a smaller plant on the north side, happens frequently in arid climates. Here, an ocotillo is shading the growth of a barrel cactus. The ocotillo is known as a nurse plant. This is also common in the slightly higher elevation pinon-juniper country where one often finds Berberis spp. in the shade of a juniper.
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Possibly the best view of Weaver’s Needle, the major landmark in the Superstition Mountains, east of Phoenix. The hike climbs up from the desert floor just enough to have a lone pine tree for shade and to frame the image.
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This image is taken from the upper reaches of the Sonoran, slightly above 3,000′, in the agaves and yuccas. It is looking downhill where the saguaros are evident. The volcanic ash and transition nature of the Superstitions are evident here.
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