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.
Sky island views
Today in History
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					The most wonderful day of the year. Period.
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					World Dolphin Day
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					Sands of time
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					Signs of life in the Empty Quarter
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					Gaztelugatxe at sunset, Basque Country, Spain
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					Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, East Java, Indonesia
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					Merry and bright
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					The Pearl of Siberia
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					An ancient sailing tradition takes to the water
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					Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day
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					Sundance Film Festival opens in Park City
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					Shhh, the movie is about to start
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					The Old City of Bern
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					A bridge comes full circle
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					Merry Christmas!
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					A Latino art exhibition in Denver
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					What s better than a smile?
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					World Population Day
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					Siblings Day
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					Modica, Sicily, Italy
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					We did not invent this, honest
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					The natural ice wall of Misotsuchi, Chichibu, Japan
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					A gorge-ous mill in the Causses
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					Memorial Day
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					Evidence of human habitation
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					National Lighthouse Day
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					A rock in a wild place
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					Happy Halloween!
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					Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
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					Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, Germany
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