The Emerald Desert, Pt #3: Wide open spaces among an endless Sea.

[Silas_Sancona]

Of all the places on Wednesday's list to visit, perhaps the most unexpected is a part of Arizona that could easily pass for somewhere hundreds of miles east where the land is dominated by endless miles of grass and broad horizons.  While " desert " is what most people know the state for, Southern AZ, roughly east of the low deserts near Organ Pipe National Monument, east into New Mexico and West TX is dominated by a landscape more reminiscent of eastern Africa, or the Pampas and less densely forested portions of the Cerrado in South America. 

While it might not seem like it, this part of the state hosts some pretty exotic animals as well. The Valley in which Las Cienegas NCA ( National Conservation Area ) sits, and surrounding mountains to the south / east of nearby Sonoita sit in at the northernmost edge of the range for Ocelot.  Jaguar have been spotted a few times both in the Cienegas, and surrounding mountains on the US side of the border here. 

The Conservation Area also hosts a healthy population of Ice Age era Pronghorn, apparently the same sub species seen further east on the High Plains. ( There is another Pronghorn subspecies that inhabits Buenos Aries Nat. Wildlife Refuge west of Nogales )  The Valley here also sits close to where one can find Brown Vine Snakes, Oxybelis aeneus, the only member of this tropical Genus of Snakes that reaches the United States, one or two species of Orchid Bees that have been observed not too far south /east in Mexico,  and is home to Prairie Dogs.  No doubt Buffalo ..and or/ Thick Billed Parrots also called this part of the state home, if only when passing through ( the Parrots )

Plant -wise.. combined with the flora observed in surrounding Mountains, the Grassland / Mesquite Savannah here and further south in the San Rafael Valley support a dizzying array of plants from very different parts of the Western and Southwest Central US, and nearby Mexico.  These two areas also support some of the largest chunks of intact and nearly un- altered Desert Grassland in the region.

IF any additional palm species, ( besides Washingtonia filifera ) ..let alone any Cycad ( Closest native sp. would be Dioon sonorense, most likely ) reaches Arizona from the south, the remote, nearly un-touched mountains and valleys from Nogales east to the New Mexico state line would be where to look..

Regardless, after so much rain this summer, standing in waist high grass that ebbs and flows like waves in a breeze, and seems to extend to and beyond the horizon reminds me more of when i'd lived in Kansas than the parched and sparsely covered Sonoran Desert closer to the house.. For such a small state, pretty amazing how different the landscapes can be in each corner. 

As nice as the weather was down there Wednesday morning, the near silence / sounds of just nature was priceless.. Surprised there weren't more people already exploring the main road / nearby Empire Ranch when i got down there. Good amount of traffic headed that way as i was headed back north over the hills toward Vail and Tucson though. 

Time to take it all in.. Even if there isn't another back to back, two year summer drought for awhile, may be a few years before the area looks this lush again..

Headed south out of the hills toward the Cienegas..


 Wide open spaces...
























Looking north into the Heart of Las Cienegas. Rincon Mountains in the far background center / left.







Whetstone Mountains/ Apache Peak to the east.



Santa Rita Mountains to the southwest.




Ephemeral pool..




Throw in some flowers to the landscape.. Doesn't get any better.










Quercus sp. and Mesquite..


.......

[jimmyt]

Again a great lesson and tour of geology and botany  Thanks @Silas_Sancona