article and photos by Murray Bolesta
www.cactushuggers.com

Isn’t the Sonoran Desert grand?

I don’t just mean large, with a range northward almost to Prescott and southward across the border to the tip of Mexico’s Baja California. I also mean fabulous and awesome.

Being one of you, a borderlands photographer, it’s a bit hard for me not to capture images common to the Sonoran Desert. A frequent subject of nature photography, archetypal Sonoran scenes include unique landscapes and, mainly, the Saguaro cactus. The iconic image of the Saguaro is a cliché, but for the purpose of my column this month, who cares? It’s grand, and enduringly popular.

My photography mostly veers away from Sonoran images, dwelling instead on scenes in higher-elevation zones of the Santa Cruz river area, such as the mesquite-bosque, desert scrub, desert grassland, and riparian zones of this region. I think more typical Sonoran images are already well covered by other photographers, and besides, our borderlands region offers so many of these surprising alternatives.

It’s a bit safer to encounter the molted skin at right
than the live Arizona Black rattler at left.

This newspaper’s village of Tubac lies on the eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert, near a transitional grasslands area bordering the Chihuahuan desert farther east. I feel sorry for points east since, by and large, they don’t have the Saguaro.

Threats to the Sonoran Desert are many, and are extreme. Ignorant and greedy development is foremost, of course, and illegal border activity, off-road vehicle abuse and invasive species such as buffelgrass follow closely.

Currently, freeway by-pass construction is a major threat in Pima county which should be opposed vigorously, in my opinion.

But with all the stress imposed upon it by humans, the Sonoran Desert still provides a world of unique photographic subjects, including vast open spaces with few scars upon the land, carpets of seasonal wildflowers and thousands of native American sites of photogenic rock art, most of which are still secret.

Broad expanses: Among trackless open spaces which are not too distant is the Tohono O’odham Nation to our west. This native American territory is a giant slab of southern Arizona which, to my mind, is another great piece of Sonoran Desert national park which will never be developed (except, of course, at the edges allowing for casinos). You should go visit this vast place, and doing so, if you swing off the main roads, you’ll need a permit that’s available by calling tribal headquarters in the town of Sells.

Cliché or not, Saguaros images are improved with unusual lighting, such as, at left, aiming the camera directly at the setting sun, and at right, using the tiny remaining glow of a sun already set, accented by a partial moon. Both shots were achieved without a tripod, not an easy thing to do.

Your landscape photography must always feature the sky, especially when it’s partly cloudy. Frankly, I tire of our region’s common clear blue skies, as the clouds of the brief stormy seasons create the most awesome sky scenes available anywhere on the planet.

Wildflowers: For photographic close-ups as well as panoramas using extreme depth of field popular in magazines such as Arizona Highways, wildflowers are among the best of nature’s photo subjects in the desert.

The color in late winter of desert wildflowers can be precious and charming. At left, a moist poppy and, at right, a bluedick resting
on the ear of a prickly pear cactus.

February and March are the best times for Sonoran wildflowers and, locally, some of the best places to see them are Picacho Peak State Park, Ironwood Forest National Monument, and of course, Saguaro National Park, east and west districts. I often visit the eastern district’s southerly-facing Hope Camp Trail for a multitude of little wildflowers, accessible near the town of Vail. Snow runoff provides the extra benefit there of seasonal streams and waterfalls.

The big guy: Another wildflower, the big one, is the Saguaro blossom which blooms later, peaking in late May. Also, Saguaro oddities are a favorite photographic subject in the Sonoran Desert. The fantastic shapes of the arms of mature specimens have infinite varieties, including the rare crested Saguaro, sort of a mutation. Once you’ve found something unusual, it’s best to work carefully on the angle of your photo to capture the odd shape in the best way, often upward with the clear blue sky in the background to provide a sharp contrast.

Archaeological sites: Rock art can be found in Ironwood Forest National Monument, but you must explore for it, as sites are not officially marked in order to preserve them. If you ever discover pictographs or petroglyphs, never touch them or walk on their rocky canvasses. Just take lots of photos from a small distance. When you do, make sure you have enough light to elicit the faded artwork, preferably in open sunlight or with flash. Rock art often makes fine black-and-white images and these can be improved by increasing contrast to bring out the patterns clearly.

A Hohokam Indian rock art image is enhanced
by aiming the lens upward at the Sonoran sky.

Be careful: Special considerations in the open Sonoran Desert involve risks existing throughout this region, only more so. To paraphrase movie star John Wayne, everything in this country either sticks you, stings you, or bites you. I never wear shorts while hiking even on the hottest days. The primary danger is rattlesnakes, and 80 percent of bites happen in the lower legs. It pays to consider buying gaiters, or lower leg chaps, specially made to be snake-proof. The other 20 percent of bites are mainly in the hands and arms, so always be careful where you reach. There’s no treatment for rattlesnake bites except anti-venom administered by medical personnel.

A telephoto lens captures a Sonoran ridge-line and distant storm clouds.

About Murray Bolesta:
Murray owns CactusHuggers Gallery in Tubac, on the frontage road in the new La Entrada Plaza. His photography business actively supports the struggle to preserve Southern Arizona’s natural, rural, and cultural heritage.

www.CactusHuggers.com
murray@cactushuggers.com