Life in the Desert - South Mountains, Arizona

Our second Arizona hike was in the South Mountains, a long range south of the Phoenix airport. What turned out to be a four hour hike, we saw beautiful views of Phoenix, a wide array of flora and fauna. I figure this is a great opportunity to have the photos speak for themselves. Oh, and if you don't want to read my commentary, feel free to click on the first image and scroll through them in all their glory. 

One of the first creatures we spotted was one of the most interesting, the Chuckwalla. What first looks like a typical black lizard or iguana, actually has some spice to his looks.

The beginning of the trail was rather steep, but once we made it to the top, the trail flattened out and the view was amazing. The crimson flowers of the Ocotillo, the view was spectacular.

I was pleased to see Camelback Mountain, our first hiking adventure, still looking rather impressive from a distance.

Throughout our hike, the sky was generous with the beautiful clouds and bright blue colouring.

Striking pink, the hedgehog cactus has more than a clever name, but a beautiful flower that sneaks it way through the protective barbs. 

After our first Chuckwalla spotting I kept my eyes peeled for more. With their bright orange tail I was hoping to catch a glimpse of another. At one point I saw something dart into the shadows and managed to see a female Chuckwalla, who also saw me.

Being in the desert it was not hard to come across a few different types of lizards on our short hike. The Ornate Tree Lizard blends in well with the natural rock colours, which makes them hard to spot. But, there are so many running around you're bound to see one stop eventually.

Another fun lizard spotting was the Zebra Tailed Lizard. This was a fascinating creature. When they see you (or a predator) are watching them, they wag their tail as a warning sign that they see you. Apparently, this works! Can you see him?

Birds of a feather. I heard a small chirping sound coming out of a tree. I was convinced there was a nest and started to watch it carefully. Turns out, I was wrong. There was a hummingbird telling us to go away. 

Saguaros (/say-waro), one of the most "Arizona desert" iconic flora you can find. With arms that grow for balance and all too common eaten up bottoms, I was always in wonder how they stayed standing. That is, until I saw a saguaro skeleton for the first time. Their bones are what I imagine whale bones to look and feel like.

A very common bird to the Phoenix area are doves. They have a beautiful cooing song which also helps make them stand out against other bird calls. 

The last fauna we spotted, was actually one that Dan saw. I was pretty tired at this point and the sun was getting hotter, so my eyes were toward the car. Unfortunately, even with some research I couldn't find out what this lizard is.

When we returned home, we were warned there would be a dust storm. This was a first time experience for us, so we headed out to the front yard and watched the dust sweep through the sky. Luckily, it didn't quite make it to us, but made for a beautiful sunset.