Sedona Wildlife, Nature and Outdoor Life
So much of Sedona's magic can be attributed to the surprisingly diverse and plentiful wildlife that populates the forests, deserts, rivers and scrub brush around us.
In a relatively small area the elevation changes from high desert at about 3,000 feet to cool pine forests at 8,000 feet, providing several different kinds of habitat. Add to this the life-rich riparian zones of
Oak Creek Canyon, the Verde River and other smaller creeks, and you have a paradise for those who appreciate nature's beauty and complexity.
Elk and Mule Deer forage in the oak and pine forests. Skunks,
ringtails and raccoons go about their nocturnal business in nearly every part of
the Verde Valley. At dusk,
bats swoop in an impromptu ballet overhead, while
jackrabbits are often glimpsed darting into the desert brush.
The land hums with life of all kinds, with practically every inch containing some living thing, but the following are a few of the creatures that embody the spirit of the desert and the life it nourishes:
Coyotes
Present in nearly every corner of North America, the coyote's presence in Southwest life and lore is particularly strong. Southwestern and Plains tribes have many names for this wild, wily dog—Trickster, First Scolder, Disrespector, God's Dog—and countless myths and stories to illustrate his powers. He offers signs, tinkers with the natural order, and takes part in man's very creation.
Supernatural powers aside, the coyotes' position in the middle of the food chain has caused them to evolve into wary, intelligent, alert animals capable of rapid learning and opportunism. You'll know a coyote from his large triangular ears, long lean body (about 30 pounds for an average male), reddish-grey color and long bushy tail.
Coyotes are omnivores, eating nearly anything they can catch or forage, including berries, small mammals and garbage. The sound of a pack of coyotes singing at night transports you to an other-worldly realm where the barrier between "wild" and "civilized" dissolves into the shadows.
Javelina
First things first: they're not pigs. Javelina, or Collared Peccaries, may look like pigs, but there are several differences, including upward-pointing tusks, a three-chambered stomach, and three rather than four toes that separate the javelina from their domestic or feral cousins. Javelinas migrated northwest from South America and have arrived in Central Arizona relatively recently, making it as far north as the Mogollon rim.
These opportunistic souls have made themselves at home here, gathering around Sedona dumpsters and gardens to take advantage of the easy pickings they offer. While some find these hairy little trotters adorable, and the more urbane javelina are quite nonchalant around people, resist the urge to approach them. If they feel threatened, they can turn from cute to cranky in about a second, and can do real damage with a speedy charge and steel-trap jaws—especially when they're with their young or feel cornered.
The Mountain Lion
While you're not likely to spot them, both mountain lions and bobcats are at home throughout Coconino National Forest, in the Black Hills, and even around Sedona from time to time. Mountain lions (also known as cougars or pumas) are North America's largest cat, the males reaching up to 150 pounds. Despite their size, mountain lions are stealthy hunters, stalking their oblivious prey until making a final fatal pounce.
Bobcats, a type of lynx, can be just under two feet at the shoulder, with a distinctive short tail and tufted ears.
Reptiles (Snakes and Lizards)
Arizona is home to dozens of snake species, but none captivate the imagination or for some, generate cold primal fear, like the rattlesnake. The largest of the rattlesnakes, the Western Diamondback, likes the rocky terrain and denser vegetation of Sedona's high desert and can be seen in spring and summer, most often at dawn or dusk. Other types of rattlesnake that live in the area are the Arizona Black, Mojave and Blacktail.
When you're new to the area and spot a snake, your first thought is generally, "Rattlesnake or not?" While there are many visual clues that identify rattlers, the most unmistakable sign is the sound of a threatened snake vibrating the horny sections at the end of its tale. While these venomous snakes are definitely dangerous, they generally play fair, giving loud and ample warning before they strike. If you encounter one of these fascinating desert residents on the trail, just admire him from a distance and give him room to go about his business.
The snakes you're more likely to see, however, are non-venomous and often docile. The harmless Gopher Snake sometimes sports the coloring of a rattler, and even coils up and shakes his tail when cornered, hoping to do a convincing impression of his more dangerous relative.
Kingsnakes, which come in a variety of colors from coal black to vibrant stripes, can both grow to impressive length and girth, and along with most local snakes, do the important work of keeping the rodent population under control.
Driving tip: Snakes like to rest on the highways at night or early morning to soak up the day's heat from the pavement, so please slow down if you spot one of our slithery friends on the road!
Less high-profile, but just as fascinating are the scores of lizards that call the Verde Valley home. Horned Lizards, Plateau Lizards, Skinks, Whiptails and all their spiny brethren scoot from rock to rock, rustling bushes and leaves as hikers stroll by.
Birds
Arizona is a hot spot for birders, with about 340 species in the Verde Valley alone. Just casually passing through you can often spot the
Greater Roadrunner, Blue Herons,
Turkey Vultures, Harris Hawks, and in the spring and summer, several different delicate, vibrantly-colored
hummingbirds. These speedy aerial jewels can actually swarm around feeders in a frenzy of flashing greens, reds and blues.
Pay attention to those raptors circling high above—you might spot one of the Bald Eagles that nest along Oak Creek or the Verde River.
A major player in Sedona scenery and native lore is the Raven, and if you spend any time watching these imposing, oil-black birds, you'll know why. Common Ravens, the species most common in Sedona, are larger than crows, have thicker bills and a distinctive croaking call.
Also renowned as tricksters in native Southwest stories, ravens exhibit extraordinary intelligence, problem solving abilities and a mischievous nature. They've learned to take advantage of sharing a habitat with humans and can make short work of a loosely-lidded garbage can in no time.
Serious birders might want to travel to riparian areas including Red Rock State Park, Dead Horse Ranch State Park,
Tavasci March and Peck's Lake near Cottonwood and Oak Creek Canyon. Wrens, sparrows, warblers, tanagers, nuthatches, cardinals—the list goes on and on, but you don't need to be a bird expert to enjoy the variety of feathered friends in these parts. Just find a quiet place to sit and keep your eyes and ears open. You're practically guaranteed to see something new.
Insects
They don't get the same PR as the mammals and birds, or even the reptiles, but there's a mind-boggling variety of insects and spiders around here, exotic, beautiful and often just plain huge.
The beauty queens of the lot are butterflies, (Arizona is second only to Texas in the number of butterfly species found in the U.S.) including Monarchs, Queens,
Swallowtails and countless others.
Up for debate in the beauty department, but still attention-getting are the tarantulas that often emerge after a summer monsoon. Despite their horror-movie rep, these hairy giants are not at all aggressive and are non-venomous.
Scorpions rival the tarantula as the most-feared critter around, but only the smallish, wispy bark scorpion actually poses any danger to people.
Native Plants
Three colors dominate the Sedona palate: the rusty red of the rocks, the turquoise blue of the sky, and the deep greens generously offered up by the dry desert earth. (See our article about
cryptobiotic crust.)
Juniper trees with their fragrant berries thickly dot the landscape, next to the twisty mahogany branches of Manzanita and the thin thorny arms of mesquite trees.
The exotic shapes of cactus remind you this is the desert, after all.
Prickly pear cactus are the most prominent, with their bright pink or sunny yellow blooms that turn into the richly hued magenta fruits that local critters like to eat and local people like to juice into margaritas. (Editor's note: see our article about
Cochineal, the "little bug that made the world see red.")
The Century Plant, a member of the Agave family, blooms only once in its 25-year lifespan (the name is a bit of an exaggeration), sending a towering stalk several feet up, topped with firey colored flowers.
Watch out for the Plateau Cholla (pronounced CHOY-ya) with its long, cylindrical fingers covered with painful thorns. It isn't unusual to find some hardly little plant growing right out of a rock, with apparently no soil or water to help it along, boldly illustrating the improbable abundance of life in the high desert.
