A Patch Of Desert Paradise

A pristine patch of the Sonoran Desert on the western bajada of the Tucson Mountains within Tucson Mountain Park, west of Tucson, Arizona. The park... more

by Douglas Taylor

Title

A Patch Of Desert Paradise

Artist

Douglas Taylor

Medium

Photograph - Fine Art Digital Photography

Description

A pristine patch of the Sonoran Desert on the western bajada of the Tucson Mountains within Tucson Mountain Park, west of Tucson, Arizona. The park was established in 1929 in order to preserve and protect the desert ecosystem surrounding the Tucson Mountains. It has succeeded in that mission spectacularly. So much so that the northern half of this visionary park is now Saguaro National Park.

On a warm, sunny January afternoon I was able to record the results of this preservation. A large prickly pear cactus is surrounded by many saguaros, some of whom were barely sprouts when the park was first conceived. The saguaros standing to the left and right of the prickly pear are perhaps just 50 years of age and about 13 feet (4 meters) tall. Many others surrounding this area are also of similar age, while the tall, multiple armed specimen in the background surely was already a stout young cactus when the park was established 95 years ago.

The pale yellowish-green tree at the far left is a palo verde, while in the center and far right are the dark green leaves of the ironwood tree. Both species of trees are exceptionally hardy and deep rooted. The palo verde can live for many hundreds of years if it is lucky, while the ironwood, with roots penetrating all the way down to bedrock where there is sufficient water, can live to be well over a thousand years old.

In years past, a prickly pear such as this would be rather ubiquitous here, and a typical hazard to navigation for anyone bushwhacking across the desert. But due to the chronic drought that has gripped the desert Southwest over the last 20 years a healthy specimen such as this is now notable and worthy of photographing. Desert critters have long relied on their ripe fruit for sustenance in August and September, and the scarcity of this food source has had a dire impact on wildlife as our climate changes and warms.

Uploaded

January 29th, 2024