Sonoran Adventures - Flora & Fauna / Natural History

SONORAN ADVENTURES provides environmental educational programs on each level of our guided tours.

	Outdoor Ethics "Leave No Trace" Training
	Flora & Fauna / Natural History
	Environmental Stewardship

"We believe that the physical experience of being immersed in wild places is the best way to inspire people to conserve and protect our natural world."

All SONORAN ADVENTURES guided tours include an introduction to the Sonoran Desert’s Flora and Fauna.

Welcome to the Sonoran Desert

A beautiful legacy

Just a two hour walk into the canyons, mountains or desert of the southwest will provide you a lifetime of memories. Imagine yourself sitting atop a high ridge overlooking miles of open wilderness – or in a peaceful canyon with the sound of a small creek calming your soul. This area of the desert resembles a lush garden, not the deserts of sand and sparse vegetation.

Sonoran Desert Flora and Fauna is as diverse as any tropical forest or Rocky Mountain Wilderness. From the smallest of animals (Anna’s hummingbird) to the largest of plants (saguaro cacti), the Sonoran Desert has variety and splendor for all taste. Come - let us open this world of wonder for you.

Red Tailed Hawk

The Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran Desert as currently defined covers approximately 100,000 square miles (260,000 sq. km.) and includes most of the southern half of Arizona, southeastern California, most of Baja California and Sonora, Mexico.

This area is lush in comparison to most other deserts. Two visually dominant life forms of plants distinguish the Sonoran Desert from the other North American deserts: legume trees and columnar cacti. It also supports many other life forms encompassing a rich spectrum of some 2,000 species of plants.

Here are some examples of the flora (plants) and fauna (wildlife) of the Sonoran Desert:

Sonoran Flora

The Saguaro, pronounced "sah-wah-roh", (Carnegiea gigantea) is a large, tree-sized cactus species in the monotypic genus Carnegiea. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California, and an extremely small area of California. The saguaro blossom is the state flower of Arizona.

Other indigenous trees of this area include Mesquite, Palo Verde and Ironwood Trees.

Anna's Hummingbird

Sonoran Desert Birds

Unlike most hummingbirds, the Anna’s Hummingbird sings during courtship. During the breeding season, males can be observed performing a remarkable display, called a display dive, on their territories. When another bird (such as a female Anna's Hummingbird) flies onto a male's territory, he rises up approximately 30m (100 ft) before diving over the recipient. At the bottom of the dive the males reach speeds exceeding 23 m/s (50 mph), and produce a loud sound, described by some as an "explosive squeak" with their outer tail-feathers.

Anna’s Hummingbird are permanent residents in parts of their range. Some birds may wander north to southern Alaska, south to Mexico or move east from California after nesting season. Some individuals have been banded as far east as Alabama and Florida. They are very territorial. These birds feed on nectar from flowers using a long extendable tongue and catch insects in flight. While collecting nectar, they also assist in plant pollination and sometimes eat tree sap.

Other birds we may see along our journeys include Gila Woodpecker, Gambles Quails, Cactus Wren and several species of hawks.

Gila Monster

Coyote