All of these photos are in the wild unless otherwise noted, ie. in the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum or in a Zoo. Also, please don't use them for commercial purposes without asking first. If you do use one of my pictures somewhere, please tell people where the originals came from, and I would enjoy getting a comment and/or a link.

Think the desert is uninhabitable? Most people think of a desert as always hot and unremarkable. But a quick scroll through the PhotoStream, Albums and/or the Showcase / Most Popular photos below, you'll see the Sonoran Desert around Tucson in southern Arizona is actually a diverse and colorful place. But the lack of water and lots of sun can be deceiving. In fact, the Sonoran Desert ecosystem is alive with over 300 bird species, 100 reptile and amphibian species, 1,000 bee species, and more than 2,000 plant species! Tucson's boundaries - 'city limits' - are literally formed by 2 units of the Saguaro National Park, the Coronado National Forest on two 9000'+ mountain ranges (one fully accessible by car with the southernmost ski area in the US), the 56,000 acre / 88 sq mile Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area, the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area w/ several miles accessible by tram, and the Tucson Mountain Park next door to SNP West. There is also a 3rd 9000'+ mountain range about an hour's drive south, also with a canyon accessible by car,

This area is a haven for nature and landscape photographers (i.e., Arizona Highways magazine!) . One case in point, in summer southern Arizona hosts the largest number of hummingbird species in the US, all are within an hour's or so drive from Tucson. The wildlife might not be as easy to photograph as say, Yellowstone, but there are many different birds, animals and flowers unique to the area in several different life zones and in habitats which also change through the seasons. Most of these areas are easily reached by car from the city, and there are a LOT of hiking and riding trails for varying abilities too.