According to the experts at the Sky Islands Alliance, the Sky Islands we hold near and dear are a magical place indeed. Did you know more than 7,000 species of plants and animals—including over half of the birds in North America—can be found within this region alone? Just another reminder that we live in an incredible and unique part of the world.
Within these 55+ individual ranges that are found in southern Arizona and Sonora Mexico lives an incredible amount of biodiversity. The habitats of the Sky Island region include the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts, grasslands, oak woodlands, pine forests, and everything in between—creating a region that is both temperate and tropical, that can reach over 100 degrees in the summer and yet snow in the winter, that supports native plants and migratory wildlife.
An illustrated depiction of the various biomes that can be found within our Sky Islands.
Endemic species (those found nowhere else in the world), animals that move back and forth between higher and lower elevations, and refugee species found in one last remaining place are just a few of the natural wonders that can be found in our Sky Islands.
You can read the entire article and learn more about the important work the Sky Island Alliance does on their website.