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
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Mangrove Conservation Day
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Earth Day
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The National Museum of the American Indian
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International Day for Biodiversity
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Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
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Who left the tub running?
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Jaguar in the Pantanal wetlands
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Henningsvær Stadion, Norway
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A night of art and culture
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A willowy welcome to spring
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International Surfing Day
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Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
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International Roller Coaster Day
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Tolkien Reading Day
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White trilliums blooming in Ontario, Canada
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Sligachan Old Bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Aprils full moon
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Southern gemsbok in the savannah, Botswana
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Sunny day, sweepin the clouds away
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Jerte Valley in bloom
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The moth wonderful time of the year
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Lake Bled, Slovenia
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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
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Giving Tuesday
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International Archaeology Day
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Morocco in bloom
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Perseid meteor shower over Oregon
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All is silent for Big Ben’s musical milestone
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Happy Pi Day!
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Staircase of turquoise pools