Sky island views Dec 30, 2019

Sky island views

Though it"s December, it isn"t cold and snowy everywhere in North America. Here, near Tucson, Arizona, the Sonoran Desert stays warm year-round. In this photo, we"re looking at a "sky island"—an isolated, high-elevation woodland surrounded by radically different lowland environments. In this case, the desert land at the base of the mountain is peppered with saguaros—a stately cactus recognized for its long arms. The snow-capped Santa Catalina Mountains in the distance are part of the Madrean Sky Islands and are home to Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, which is the southernmost ski destination in the US. The ski area covers the slopes of Mount Lemmon, which reaches an elevation of about 9,100 feet at the summit and can receive around 180 inches of snow annually.

© Jack Dykinga/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

Dec 30, 2018Adorably evolutionary sea sheep
Dec 30, 2020Winter in the Wild West
Dec 30, 2021Westerheversand Lighthouse
Dec 30, 2022White Desert National Park, Egypt
Dec 30, 2023Daiichi Tadami River Bridge, Fukushima, Japan
Dec 30, 2024Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Dec 30, 2025Whooper swans, Kotoku Pond, Japan

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 26, 2023Venice Skatepark, Los Angeles, California
Jan 10, 2025Abraham Lake, Alberta, Canada
Jul 15, 2020Who left the tub running?
Jul 30, 2024San Gimignano, Siena Tuscany, Italy
Dec 6, 2018The owl that loved football
Jul 10, 2024Collared aracari in Costa Rica
Oct 8, 2022World Octopus Day
Dec 28, 2022Maloja, Switzerland
Jun 5, 2018Up, up, and away for Hot Air Balloon Day
Sep 23, 2018Ahh-tumn
Jun 1, 2024Pride Month
Dec 30, 2022White Desert National Park, Egypt
Nov 27, 2024Tombeau du Géant in Bouillon, Belgium
May 5, 2018Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Jan 29, 2026Milwaukee City Hall, Wisconsin
Jan 11, 2025Heri es-Swani in Meknes, Morocco
Oct 28, 2019A night on the (ghost) town
May 27, 2019Reflections on Memorial Day
Nov 14, 2024Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria, Italy
Aug 10, 2020Kings of the Kalahari
Jan 20, 2026Penguin Awareness Day
Mar 18, 2022Holi festival
Feb 13, 2022American bison
May 17, 2023Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California
Mar 8, 2022International Women s Day
May 21, 2023Pont dArcole over the Seine river, Paris, France
Jul 20, 2019Bringing the moon to Earth
Jul 3, 2018To the 155th on the 155th
Jul 17, 2019Nomads of the Gobi
Nov 3, 2022International Day for Biosphere Reserves