The Loner

Page illustration detail: Flora of the American Southwest Deserts - 1953.

An old house in the West University neighborhood, Tucson, Arizona.

Foothill Palo Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla), the state tree of Arizona, Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona.

San Martin Rock, near Gorda, Big Sur Coast, California.

East Fork, Trinity River, Trinity Mountains, California.

Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock in the red rock country near Sedona, Arizona.

Soaptree Yuccas (Yucca elata) near Dos Cabezas Peaks, Cochise County, Arizona.

Red rock country near Sedona, Coconino National Forest, Arizona.

The beauty of the desert is haunting. In imagination and myth, it is an empty environment, devoid of life and mercy. A visit to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge proves those assumptions wrong. Kofa is the second-largest wilderness area in Arizona and home to a startling variety of plants and animals. Gila monsters, desert bighorn sheep, golden eagles and foxes find food and shelter in misty mountains and cacti-covered plains. Indeed it is a place of surprise and wonder. Photo courtesy of Andrew R. Slaton.