The Sonoran Desert, Arizona May 3, 2024

The Sonoran Desert, Arizona

Welcome to the Sonoran Desert, where life thrives despite the heat thanks to two seasons of rainfall. This subtropical desert spreads across parts of Mexico, California, and Arizona and is home to animals such as roadrunners, Gila monsters, and the Morafka"s desert tortoise. Its rainy seasons are followed by the blossoming of colorful wildflowers such as the brittlebush, seen in today"s image. These hardy shrubs are adapted to the dry seasons, with their silvery-gray leaves covered in fine hairs that help reduce water loss. Brittlebushes produce bright yellow flowers that bloom in clusters, adding splashes of color to the desert landscape. Another drought-loving desert flora is the saguaro cactus, which can live for over 150 years and grow up to 40 feet tall. The saguaro also provides food and shelter for desert species and is a sacred plant in the culture of the Tohono O"odham people.

© Charles Harker/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

May 3, 2018Nazar amulets, Goreme National Park, Cappadocia, Turkey
May 3, 2019A night of art and culture
May 3, 2020World Laughter Day—it s a hoot
May 3, 2021It s Teacher Appreciation Week
May 3, 2022Teacher Appreciation Day
May 3, 2023Wildebeests in Maasai Mara, Kenya
May 3, 2025Happy International Astronomy Day!
May 3, 2026International Leopard Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 7, 2024St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan
Oct 19, 2024International Archaeology Day
Mar 22, 2022World Water Day
Jul 3, 2024World Meerkat Day
Jan 4, 2019Observing World Braille Day in Bavaria
May 10, 2021An ancient sailing tradition takes to the water
Jan 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
May 11, 2025Happy Mothers Day!
May 15, 2020The last thing seen by Wile E. Coyote
Oct 1, 2021What s better than a smile?
Nov 10, 2024Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
Dec 5, 2021Salzburg, Austria
Dec 28, 202350 years of the Endangered Species Act
May 29, 2018The first ascent
Jan 16, 2023Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan 12, 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Jun 7, 2022Haaga Rhododendron Park
Mar 22, 2020Celebrating World Water Day
Oct 31, 2020Twas a night just like tonight
Jul 19, 2024A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil
Mar 15, 2020Celebrating 200 years of statehood
Dec 6, 2019 America s Playground by Derrick Adams
May 6, 2025An ultralight aircraft flying over the sands of Namibia
May 29, 2021A path into history
Jun 15, 2018Ready for takeoff
Aug 7, 2022National Lighthouse Day
Jan 5, 2023Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, China
May 17, 2018Celebrating Norwegian Constitution Day
Aug 5, 2021A swim in the sky
Jun 4, 2024Chestnut-headed bee-eaters, Bardia National Park, Nepal