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Sonoran Desert, Arizona United States


The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which covers large parts of the Southwestern United States in Arizona and California, and of Northwestern Mexico in Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest deserts in North America, with an area of 280,000 square kilometers. The western portion of the United States–Mexico border passes through the Sonoran Desert.

In phytogeography, the Sonoran Desert is within the Sonoran Floristic Province of the Madrean Region in southwestern North America, part of the Holarctic Kingdom of the northern Western Hemisphere. The desert contains a variety of unique and endemic plants and animals, such as the Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) and Organ Pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi). Many plants not only survive, but thrive in the harsh conditions of the Sonoran Desert. Many have evolved to have specialized adaptations to the desert climate. The Sonoran Desert's bi-seasonal rainfall pattern results in more plant species than in the other North America deserts. The Sonoran Desert includes plant genera and species from the agave family, palm family, cactus family, legume family, and numerous others.

 Source: 500px.com/photo/14324657/sunlight-sunshower-by-ben-elliott

 Source: 500px.com/photo/35290970/untitled-by-scott-mcguire



 Source: 500px.com/photo/29708323/almost-light-by-peter-coskun

Source: fineartamerica.com/featured/sonoran-sunrise-saija-lehtonen.html

Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona United States

The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona in the United States. The refuge, established in 1939 to protect Desert bighorn sheep, is located along 56 miles of the Mexico–United States border, and covers 860,010 acres larger than the land area of the state of Rhode Island. Spanish for "dark head," the refuge's name comes from the Cabeza Prieta Mountains in the refuge's northwest part. Author Edward Abbey, a frequent visitor, described the Cabeza Prieta as "the best desert wilderness left in the USA." 

The most popular time to visit the refuge is between November and March. The required permit is free and can be obtained at the refuge office in Ajo, Arizona, or by mail. A local organization gives evening presentations on the history, flora, and fauna during these months. Only lawfully-killed game may be taken from the area. The historic El Camino Del Diablo four-wheel drive dirt road crosses the southernmost part of the refuge, near the Mexican border. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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