Flora
A lot of the flora in the desert had to adapt to the harsh conditions of the desert. For instance the saguaro had adapted to use the heat so it cannot survive anywhere cooler than a desert.
Desert Ironwood
The Desert Ironwood is located in the valleys and washes of the Sonoran Desert under 2,500 feet below sea level. The desert Ironwood is from the pea family. There leaves and flowers look like a Sweetpea's leaves and flowers. They can grow as tall as 15 - 25 feet tall, but can grow as tall as 30 feet. They grow very slowly but can live as long as 1,500 years. They have bluish gray-green leaves and wide spreading crowns.They also provide food and shelter to over 500 other desert plants and animals.
Jumping Cholla
From a distance the Jumping Cholla looks like a fuzzy and soft plant but is actually covered in silver spines and when you touch it a spiney segment will appear to have "jumped" off the plant and will get stuck to you. The joint that holds the segments together will easily break off when touched. Sometimes you will see a forest of these around. The segments are bluish green and flower every February to May. The flowers are Greenish-yellow and are about 1.5 inches in diameter and has fruit that is less than an inch in diameter and sometimes has spines on it.
Pancake Prickly-Pear Cactus
The Prickly Pear is a cactus that has fruit that can be eaten. It is found in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts. It grows up to 7 feet tall and has circular pads that grow out of it's round trunk. it grows straight with the pads growing out in all different directions. The pads can be 4 - 6 inches long 9 inches wide and 0.75 inches thick, and are covered in spines. There flowers are yellow and can be 3 - 4 inches wide and have red centers there fruit is red or purple and turns gray when it's rotten.
Fauna
The fauna of the desert also had to adapt to the harsh climate of the desert. They adapted to stay in the shade as best they can.
Cactus Wren
The Cactus Wren is found below 4,000 feet above sea level. It is 7 - 9 inches long and is the largest wren in the United States. Both the female and male look similar. They are are brown with a white stripe running down it's eye, there throats are white and they have a long, dark, curved beak. They are very active and very curious birds and will investigate anything new about there territory. They do not migrate so they are considered permanent residents of there territory. Males will defend there territory during the breeding season and sing territorial songs.
Coyote
The Coyote has a tan coat mixed with rusty brown and gray and the ends of the hairs may be black. They have long pointy ears and a large bushy tail. They are known for there keen eyesight. hearing and sense of smell. Adults can grow to be 4 feet long including there tail which can be 11 - 16 inches long and they can be up to 2 feet tall. They eat mostly rabbits and rodents but they hunt other animals as well, they also will eat fruits, nuts and garbage. Most coyotes live on there own but they will sometimes live in larger groups.
Thorny Devil
The Thorny Devil is the only species in its genus. It is a lizard that is covered in spikes. It's body changes color depending on what type of soil it is walking on. They can grow up to 20 centimeters long. It lays 3 - 10 eggs a year which hatch 3 - 4 months later. A Thorny Devil can live to be 20 years old. It is one of the least aggressive reptiles. It usually eats ants, about 600 - 3000 ants a day, they can only eat one ant at a time but can eat 45 ants per minute. The Thorny Devil is a very slow moving lizard.
Endangered Species
The Fennec Fox, and the Pronghorn are two endangered species of the desert. The Fennec Fox is endangered from people catching them and selling them to tourists, and also because of people moving into the area. The Pronghorn is endangered because of illegal hunting, severe droughts, harsh winters, lack of vegetation and water, and loss of habitat.