18"x24" matte poster
Desert Lifezone - Arizona Sky Islands
The Santa Catalina Mountain range near Tucson, AZ is not only a beautiful example of the Arizona Sky Islands, it is also one of the few places where you can see the biodiversity of vegetation and animals as you travel from the desert at 2,300 feet to pine forests at 9,157 feet at the top of Mt Lemmon.
This diversity of biological communities has been given a name: lifezone. The Catalinas have four distinct lifezones: Desert, Grassland, Woodland, and Forest. These lifezones are affected by elevation, precipitation, climate, and can blend into each other. The drastic change in elevation and the variety of species found in each lifezone is similar to driving from Mexico to Canada.
I wanted to show the beauty in the great diversity found in each lifezone. Through studying, drawing, and painting each lifezone I've come to appreciate the biological wonderland found in the Santa Catalinas and I hope you've experienced that wonderment as well.
Plants and flowers featured in the Desert Lifezone:
Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)
Mexican Gold Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Larkspur (Delphinium parishii)
Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata)
Desert Chicory (Rafinesquia neomexicana)
Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla)
Palo Verde (Parkinsonia aculeata)
Santa Rita Prickly Pear (Opuntia santarita)
Vine Mesquite Grass (Hopia obtusa)
Sprucetop Grama (Bouteloua chondrosioides)
Fishhook Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni)
Reproduction of original watercolor artwork by Stephanie Daniels
© 2021 Brushes and Boots. This artwork may not be reproduced, reprinted, or resold in any way.