Have you been to the Sonoran Desert? In the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona there is a path that shows different Habitats of the Sonoran Desert. https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-r4x4zWB/0/62dd8251/X2/_DSC2383-X2.jpg

Let me take you on a 1.3 mile loop that highlights each of these habitats. Desert Habitat Mesquite Bosque Desert Oasis Semi Desert Grassland Chapparal

https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-v9vX2m2/0/c8388732/XL/_DSC2376-XL.jpg

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/hive-146701/2432f7unmo28aXAMGzs9AhK3eZW9L1JmeENvbKHXZEWS1Lim79AngsW71XWwVxnyMwQjv.png #### Desert Habitat When most people think of the desert this is what they envision. Lots of cactus... and in the Sonoran Desert that would include the stately Saguaro! https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-PGVLfpX/0/aaaeeeae/XL/_DSC2457-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-VTR2xXG/0/c0176ad9/X3/_DSC2387-X3.jpg

**Elevation**: 260-3000 feet (85-980 meters) **Annual Rainfall**: Less than 10 inches (25.4 cm) **Key plants**: Saguaro Prickly Pear Cholla Palo Verde Iron Wood Creosote Ocotillo

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-VWXfxgQ/0/cbd32b81/XL/_DSC2398-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-MKZKLp6/0/7172a962/XL/_DSC2394-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-96nBQMP/0/0bfbbb7d/XL/_DSC2407-XL.jpg| |-|-|-| |Saguaro|Prickly Pear|Cholla| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-tGt9942/0/518a24a4/XL/_DSC2599-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-zBHNzkD/0/0e403926/XL/_DSC2433-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-TgDm9cV/0/b4d6d155/XL/_DSC2521-XL.jpg| |-|-|-| |Palo Verde Tree-in bloom|Iron Wood tree|Creostoe Bush| Ocotillo |https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-76gdMhb/0/0b5c3e7e/XL/_DSC2532-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-W334g9v/0/19429b05/XL/_DSC2381-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-3MqH4HN/0/ffafdcbe/XL/_DSC2533-XL.jpg| |-|-|-| This is the habitat I know best and feel most comfortable in now that I have lived in the desert for 15 years. At first it seems a bit sparse and hostile. It is really quite lovely and full of life and variety. https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/hive-146701/2432f7unmo28aXAMGzs9AhK3eZW9L1JmeENvbKHXZEWS1Lim79AngsW71XWwVxnyMwQjv.png #### Mesquite Bosque Mesquite trees are quite beautiful. For so long I thought the desert was just cactus. I have learned that Ironwood, Mesquite and Palo Verde also thrive in the desert and have a very important function for the people and animals of the desert. https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-XQKFzQz/0/a394ca1f/XL/_DSC2443-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-xswcGTk/0/43b68294/XL/_DSC2442-XL.jpg

**Elevation**: Sea Level- 1500 feet (457 meters) In the hot summers these dense grouping of mesquite trees provide much needed shade. The mesquite tree also provided: food from the pods, cords from the roots, dye from the pitch and building structures from the hard wood.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-NmRSpHH/0/7ffd985e/XL/_DSC2448-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-npCDPFr/0/dfe65cc7/XL/_DSC2438-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-R57GXPr/0/330ce90c/XL/_DSC2461-XL.jpg| |-|-|-| https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/hive-146701/2432f7unmo28aXAMGzs9AhK3eZW9L1JmeENvbKHXZEWS1Lim79AngsW71XWwVxnyMwQjv.png #### Desert Oasis There is water in the desert and here we see the some of the lift that grows around the oasis in the desert. Yerba Mansa- white flower- bottom right and set below Western Cottonwood tree- top right Arrow weed- Set below Southern Cattail- middle https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-hBx6tB8/0/543892b9/XL/_DSC2415-XL.jpg Yerba Mansa |https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-dv9Qgpf/0/b23491b7/XL/_DSC2421-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-LzCTGjc/0/2056c0f5/XL/_DSC2418-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-VF7PLCt/0/f3030b29/XL/_DSC2422-XL.jpg| |-|-|-| https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-Btb5k2k/0/895b7a23/XL/_DSC2426-XL.jpg Arrow weed |https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-PT6jqQQ/0/0c4337a2/XL/_DSC2428-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-HmgNLz3/0/76005c0e/XL/_DSC2431-XL.jpg|https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-Rsg9VgG/0/2c86479f/XL/_DSC2430-XL.jpg| |-|-|-| https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/hive-146701/2432f7unmo28aXAMGzs9AhK3eZW9L1JmeENvbKHXZEWS1Lim79AngsW71XWwVxnyMwQjv.png #### Semi Desert Grassland This is one of the pretties parts of the trail and desert to me. https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-88DMWC5/0/f04378a8/XL/_DSC2472-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-HjJrcMr/0/1ee975da/XL/_DSC2471-XL.jpg

**Elevation**: 3600-5600 feet (1097-1700 meters) **Annual Rainfall:** 10-18 inches (25.4-45.7 cm) In addition the the grasses you can find shrubs, succulents and a few trees in the grasslands.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-X67Trdg/0/9255f003/XL/_DSC2474-XL.jpg https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/hive-146701/2432f7unmo28aXAMGzs9AhK3eZW9L1JmeENvbKHXZEWS1Lim79AngsW71XWwVxnyMwQjv.png #### Chapparal According to Merriam dictionary Chapparal means > a dense impenetrable thicket of shrubs or dwarf trees [1](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaparral) It is also a synonym for bosque which we saw with the mesquite trees earlier and is Spanish in origin. https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-M29GRHx/0/9b42dd43/XL/_DSC2484-XL.jpg https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/hive-146701/2432f7unmo28aXAMGzs9AhK3eZW9L1JmeENvbKHXZEWS1Lim79AngsW71XWwVxnyMwQjv.png

https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-z2Rxzsk/0/bfb4b402/XL/_DSC2478-XL.jpg

**Elevation**: 3400-6100 feet (1036-1860 meters) **Annual Rainfall:** 15-25 inches (38.1-63.5 cm) **Key Plants:** Agave Mexican Manzanita One Seed Juniper Desert Spoon Banana Yucca

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agave and Desert Spoon For those that know me agave is my current obsession. Here is an agave in bloom. The agave flower once in there life time sending up a stalk that is sometimes up to 25 feet tall (7.63 meters). [2](https://www.dailynews.com/2018/08/04/gardening-agave-flower-stalks-stand-tall-in-the-plant-kingdom/#:~:text=Flower%20stalks%20on%20agave%20grow,plant%20in%20their%20immediate%20environment.) Desert Spoon is to the right of the agave and is a yucca plant and flowers once every few years and is native to the Sonoran Desert. [3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasylirion_wheeleri) https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-gfwHZZp/0/84db26c0/L/_DSC2499-L.jpg One Seed Juniper tree |https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-XZx3XRj/0/fa712741/XL/_DSC2482-XL.jpg||https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-L37cHcF/0/3f2b5d1b/XL/_DSC2481-XL.jpg| |-|-|-| Close up of Mexican Manzanita Tree |https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-LK3bSCs/0/1b460151/XL/_DSC2496-XL.jpg||https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-9hVrKxQ/0/e46c49f7/XL/_DSC2497-XL.jpg| |-|-|-| Cool lizard that posed on the is rock for me. https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/Trips/2022/Desert-Botanical-Garden-2022/n-qcbJ3q/April-16-DBG/i-kGNq52D/0/d96488a9/XL/_DSC2455-XL.jpg I have walked on this trail many times and this is the first time I really understand some of the differences of the desert and the vegetation. **Share Our World Series** **2022** [Share Our World: Spring 2022 Round Garden](https://peakd.com/hive-140635/@sjarvie5/share-our-world-spring-2022-round-garden) [Share Our World: Winter Wonderland](https://peakd.com/hive-181964/@sjarvie5/share-our-world-winter-wonderland) 2021 posts are here [4 Year Hive Birthday (2021)](https://peakd.com/yearinreview/@sjarvie5/4-year-hive-birthday) All the 2020 posts are here [3 year anniversary on HIVE](https://peakd.com/anniversary/@sjarvie5/3-year-anniversary-on-hive) All the 2019 posts are here [My 2019 Steem Journey](https://steempeak.com/2019/@sjarvie5/my-2019-steem-journey) All the 2018 posts are here [My Year Journey on Steem](https://steempeak.com/@sjarvie5/my-year-journey-on-steem)