The Sonoran Desert
Welcome to the Sonoran Desert, where the sun sears a thorny landscape. You might expect such an arid and unforgiving place to be devoid of anything living, but here in Saguaro National Park in the western outskirts of Tucson, the towering saguaro cacti form dense forests that house myriad other plants and animals.
As Tucson and Phoenix sprawl outward, and agriculture expands along the Gila River, the diverse habitats of the Sonoran Desert continue to shrink. Parts of the region are protected within the Sonoran Desert National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, among other designated areas. The World Wildlife Foundation classifies the region as relatively stable/intact.