From Desert to Forest: The Amazing Diversity of Arizona’s Sky Islands

Arizona is a magical place. If you've lived anywhere else in the world, it might be hard to understand that the high desert is a thriving ecosystem unlike any other.

A Wondrous Realm of Arizona's Sky Islands

Enter the sky islands of Cochise County. The name alone conjures a magical land floating high about the desert floor. And while the Mule Mountains certainly look like they're floating as the sun dips below the horizon, they're not literally floating on air.

The Sky Islands are, in fact, isolated mountain ranges that rise up from the surrounding desert or grassland. They've been dubbed sky islands because they create different habitats and ecosystems at different elevations, the same way islands in the sea cultivate independent locales for flora and fauna to grow and thrive.

Sky Islands Are Found Around the World, Not Just in Cochise County

Sky islands are found across the world, but we're focusing on the region in Southern Arizona.

One of the most famous regions is a special place where the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Madre, the Sonoran Desert, and the Chihuahuan Desert converge. This area has more than 40 separate sky islands, and each has its own unique plant and animal life.

Some of the most well-known sky islands are located in Cochise and Pima Counties: the Chiricahua, Huachuca, Santa Catalina, and Santa Rita mountains.

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What Makes Arizona's Sky Islands Special?

Arizona's sky islands host an amazing diversity of life. You'll find species from four major ecosystems and five world biomes.

Biomes are large areas that contain plant and animal groups. These species are adapted to a specific environment, like the desert, grasslands, chaparral, deciduous, and coniferous forests. In the sky islands, these biomes converge and create a fascinating mosaic across the environment.

A good example is what you'll find in the Chiricahua National Monument. Look around and discover prickly pear cactus and yucca in the lower elevations. Ascend to the middle elevations, and you'll spy oak and juniper growing. Keep going up to the higher elevations, and you'll notice pine and fir abound.

Keep your eyes open for a plethora of wildlife. Look for lizards, snakes, coyotes, deer, bears, and even jaguars. This doesn't even begin to cover the wide variety of local and migratory birds from both North and South America.

The sky islands are a special part of Arizona. They offer a glimpse of the amazing diversity and complexity of the desert in a microcosm of life on Earth.