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Arizona's Sonoran Desert - why is it known as the world's living desert
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3,500 species of plants can be found in the Sonoran Desert including the saguaro cactus
The Sonoran Desert, which begins in the north Mexican state of Sonora, and stretches 400 miles into Arizona, is a true treasure trove of unique vegetation and animal life. Major Southwestern American and northern Mexican cities, including America's fifth largest city, Phoenix, Arizona, lie in this most unusual desert climate region. Nothing personal towards Las Vegas lovers, which lies in the Mojave Desert, but most of what you see around Las Vegas and most other desert regions is a lot of sand and an occasional dead brown bush - sorry, but not very pretty.
So why the difference? First of all, for an area to be officially designated as one of Earth's desert regions, the location must receive less than 10 inches of precipitation a year. Phoenix receives less than 8 inches of rain, and yet, the natural desert landscape surrounding the Phoenix area offers a multitude of green vegetation. This wide range of fauna creates a true kaleidoscope of color in the spring, with Sonoran Desert plants showing off their full range of beautiful blossoms.
How can an area which receives an average of less than 10 inches of precipitation a year, offer 3,500 different species of vegetation, more than any other desert region in the world? The main reason is 2 distinctly separated rainy seasons. Most desert climate zones receive all its precipitation during one rather short rainy period - perhaps just 2 or 3 months in length. The Sonoran Desert, however, enjoys 2 rainy seasons. During the winter, the Phoenix area, for example, receives on average about 3 inches of precipitation from damp Pacific cold fronts from the west. The desert than goes through a very dry spell in April, May and June, often 90 - 100 days without a drop of rain. The dryness is then followed by a "monsoon", (an Arabic term which means a change in wind direction) which brings a very moist air mass from the south and creates another rainy season in late summer which lasts about 60 days.
The double rainy season allows just about any species of vegetation which can persist without a large amount of moisture to survive quite heartily. A combination of a small amount of natural moisture twice during the year, intermixed with bright warm sunshine, truly has created a paradise known as the Sonoran Desert. That's why Phoenicians (residents of the Phoenix, Arizona area), love to say, "Yes, but, it's a dry heat".
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