A sego lily displays its delicate bloom along the Barnhardt Trail, a hiking route in Central Arizona’s Mazatzal Mountains. Found in several Western states, sego lilies are known for their edible bulbs. | Paul Gill

A sego lily displays its delicate bloom along the Barnhardt Trail, a hiking route in Central Arizona’s Mazatzal Mountains. Found in several Western states, sego lilies are known for their edible bulbs.

Paul Gill

CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/160 SEC, F/18, ISO 800, 100 MM LENS

 

Poppies and lupines mingle in a small meadow below Saddle Mountain, west of the Phoenix area. This mountain and the desert areas around it are home to petroglyphs and dispersed camping opportunities. | Claire Curran

Poppies and lupines mingle in a small meadow below Saddle Mountain, west of the Phoenix area. This mountain and the desert areas around it are home to petroglyphs and dispersed camping opportunities.

Claire Curran

CANON EOS 5DS, 1/5 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 45 MM LENS

 

Countless lupines and a smattering of Mexican goldpoppies surround agaves, ocotillos and saguaro cactuses on the side of King’s Crown Peak, near Superior. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the peak was named by miners who felt the nearby Silver King Mine deserved a crown. | Paul Gill

Countless lupines and a smattering of Mexican goldpoppies surround agaves, ocotillos and saguaro cactuses on the side of King’s Crown Peak, near Superior. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the peak was named by miners who felt the nearby Silver King Mine deserved a crown.

Paul Gill

CANON EOS 5D MARK II, 1/30 SEC, F/11, ISO 100, 35 MM LENS

 

Mexican goldpoppies fill a clearing beneath the Santa Catalina Mountains at Catalina State Park, north of Tucson. This view is from one of the park’s many hiking trails. | Gurinder Singh

Mexican goldpoppies fill a clearing beneath the Santa Catalina Mountains at Catalina State Park, north of Tucson. This view is from one of the park’s many hiking trails.

Gurinder Singh

NIKON D800, 1 SEC, F/25, ISO 200, 26 MM LENS


 

Desert globemallows, brittlebushes and owl’s clover form a multicolored tapestry around saguaros at Tonto National Monument, east of the Phoenix area. Because of its varied elevation, the monument is home to numerous desert plant species. | Paul Gill

Desert globemallows, brittlebushes and owl’s clover form a multicolored tapestry around saguaros at Tonto National Monument, east of the Phoenix area. Because of its varied elevation, the monument is home to numerous desert plant species.

Paul Gill

CANON EOS R5, 1/30 SEC, F/11, ISO 100, 35 MM LENS

 

A vibrant desert globemallow reveals its intricate structure at Ironwood Forest National Monument, near Tucson. Known as an “early colon-izing” plant, globemallows often are among the first species to appear in the aftermath of desert wildfires. | Gurinder Singh

A vibrant desert globemallow reveals its intricate structure at Ironwood Forest National Monument, near Tucson. Known as an “early colon-izing” plant, globemallows often are among the first species to appear in the aftermath of desert wildfires.

Gurinder Singh

NIKON D800, 1/2500 SEC, F/5.6, ISO 250, 100 MM LENS


 

Brittlebush blooms lend their golden hues to a foggy day at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Western Arizona. The rocky peaks and diverse vegetation of the Kofa Mountains make this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site a haven for photographers. | Bruce D. Taubert

Brittlebush blooms lend their golden hues to a foggy day at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Western Arizona. The rocky peaks and diverse vegetation of the Kofa Mountains make this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site a haven for photographers.

Bruce D. Taubert

CANON EOS-1D X MARK II, 1/60 SEC, F/9, ISO 3200, 28 MM LENS


 

A common stork’s-bill, also known as a redstem filaree, blooms along the Salt River northeast of Phoenix. This wildflower species is native to Europe, Asia and Africa but has become well established in North America, particularly the deserts of the Southwest. | Sue Cullumber

A common stork’s-bill, also known as a redstem filaree, blooms along the Salt River northeast of Phoenix. This wildflower species is native to Europe, Asia and Africa but has become well established in North America, particularly the deserts of the Southwest.

Sue Cullumber

CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/200 SEC, F/8, ISO 500, 100 MM LENS

 

Owl’s clover populates a meadow near the sandstone cliffs of the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, near Sedona. The meadow is near Bear Mountain, one of Red Rock Country’s most scenic hiking destinations. | Paul Gill

Owl’s clover populates a meadow near the sandstone cliffs of the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, near Sedona. The meadow is near Bear Mountain, one of Red Rock Country’s most scenic hiking destinations.

Paul Gill

CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1.3 SEC, F/22, ISO 100, 19 MM LENS


 

A stately organ pipe cactus rises from a sea of Mexican goldpoppies and lupines at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, along Arizona’s border with Mexico. The monument covers more than 500 square miles, and 95 percent of that acreage is a federal wilderness area. | George H.H. Huey

A stately organ pipe cactus rises from a sea of Mexican goldpoppies and lupines at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, along Arizona’s border with Mexico. The monument covers more than 500 square miles, and 95 percent of that acreage is a federal wilderness area.

George H.H. Huey

ARCA-SWISS 6X9, F/32, ISO 50, 47 MM LENS; SHUTTER SPEED NOT RECORDED