Arizona

As we left California and its two great biological research stations (Granite Mountain and Anza Borrego), we headed into Arizona. Here we made stops in Gila Bend, Oregon Pipe, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon.

While here, we made sure to eat plenty of Mexican food after the many long days of field work. And boy was it good. There's nothing like a huge plate of FIliberto's pollo asada and horchata after a long day of hiking through Oregon Pipe National Monument.

On top of the great Mexican food, we also made some really interesting observations. Our very first night in Arizona, we headed to a spot off the side of the intrastate, took some black lights, and found almost 10 scorpions (Desert Hairy and Arizona Bark). Their glow under the UV light was absolutely stunning, and honestly I didn't expect them to light up as much as they did.

From there, we went north. And as the elevation changed, so did our observations. A forest of saguaros turned into a forest of White and Douglas firs. And the abundance of side-blotched lizards turned into a pack of elks grazing on the juniper berries. What did not change was the beauty of the environment that we were in; it only exemplified the extreme biodiversity that can be observed within a range as small as a state.

Posted on March 24, 2018 07:02 PM by kylescheller