Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Species: Pecos Sunflower (Helianthus paradoxus)
Habitat: Alkaline spring-fed wetlands of New Mexico and west Texas
Location: Santa Rosa, New Mexico
Public Land: El Milagro Conservation Easement, State Department of Forestry
Description: In a sunlit field of rare Pecos sunflowers—golden blooms found only in spring-fed wetlands of the Southwest—a western wood-pewee perches lightly on a stem. The bird, a seasonal visitor, seems at home among these endangered flowers, whose survival depends on the steady flow of ancient groundwater. Together, bird and bloom embody a fleeting harmony—one winged, one rooted—sharing a habitat as fragile as it is beautiful.
Dotting the landscape throughout the Southwest, springs are oases of life in otherwise arid lands. Surrounded by desert, short grass prairie, or dry mountains, plants and animals have evolved in isolation in these oases for millennia. A single spring can harbor rare species found nowhere else in the world. Compared to lakes or oceans, the total land mass springs occupy within the landscape may be small, but by some estimates, these ecosystems support more than 20 percent of the endangered species in the United States. In a landscape where water is in short supply, spring ecosystems create corridors - highways from spring to spring - that provide water, refuge, and relief for thousands of species.
Prints: Fine art print on acid free, 100% cotton, bright or warm white, textured surface, archival quality paper.
Species: Pecos Sunflower (Helianthus paradoxus)
Habitat: Alkaline spring-fed wetlands of New Mexico and west Texas
Location: Santa Rosa, New Mexico
Public Land: El Milagro Conservation Easement, State Department of Forestry
Description: In a sunlit field of rare Pecos sunflowers—golden blooms found only in spring-fed wetlands of the Southwest—a western wood-pewee perches lightly on a stem. The bird, a seasonal visitor, seems at home among these endangered flowers, whose survival depends on the steady flow of ancient groundwater. Together, bird and bloom embody a fleeting harmony—one winged, one rooted—sharing a habitat as fragile as it is beautiful.
Dotting the landscape throughout the Southwest, springs are oases of life in otherwise arid lands. Surrounded by desert, short grass prairie, or dry mountains, plants and animals have evolved in isolation in these oases for millennia. A single spring can harbor rare species found nowhere else in the world. Compared to lakes or oceans, the total land mass springs occupy within the landscape may be small, but by some estimates, these ecosystems support more than 20 percent of the endangered species in the United States. In a landscape where water is in short supply, spring ecosystems create corridors - highways from spring to spring - that provide water, refuge, and relief for thousands of species.
Prints: Fine art print on acid free, 100% cotton, bright or warm white, textured surface, archival quality paper.