Arizona/New Mexico Mountains ecoregion facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arizona/New Mexico Mountains ecoregion
The Arizona/New Mexico Mountains (23), monotypic ecoregion of the Temperate Sierras

The Arizona/New Mexico Mountains ecoregion is a special natural area. It's like a big neighborhood defined by its unique plants, animals, and climate. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially named this ecoregion. It covers parts of the states of Arizona and New Mexico.

What is this Ecoregion Like?

This ecoregion is a "transition zone." This means it's a place where different types of landscapes meet and blend. To the southwest, it connects with the hot Sonoran Desert. To the southeast, it meets the Chihuahuan Desert. On its western side, it borders the Mojave Desert, which is also a desert but at a middle elevation.

To the north, this ecoregion touches the Arizona/New Mexico Plateau ecoregion. This plateau is part of the larger Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau also covers parts of Utah and Colorado. The southern edge of the Colorado Plateau stretches across the border between Arizona and New Mexico.

Mountains in Arizona

The Arizona part of this ecoregion includes areas near the Mogollon Rim. This is a large cliff or escarpment that stretches into western New Mexico. This area is also known as the Arizona transition zone. It has many mountain ranges.

Central Arizona Mountains

• Black Hills (Yavapai County)
• Dripping Springs Mountains
• Limestone Hills (Arizona)
• Mazatzal Mountains
• New River Mountains
• Sierra Ancha
• Superstition Mountains
• Usery Mountains

Western Arizona Mountains

• Aquarius Mountains
• Black Hills (Yavapai County)
• Black Mountains (Yavapai County)
• Bradshaw Mountains
• Date Creek Mountains
• Hieroglyphic Mountains
• Juniper Mountains
• McCloud Mountains
• Mohon Mountains
• Poachie Range
• Santa Maria Mountains
• Sierra Prieta
• Sullivan Buttes
• Vulture Mountains
• Weaver Mountains

Eastern Arizona Mountains

• Big Lue Mountains
• Black Hills (Greenlee County)
• Blackjack Mountains
• Gila Mountains (Graham County)
• Hayes Mountains
• Mescal Mountains
• Natanes Mountains
• Pinal Mountains
• Salt River Mountains (Gila County)
• Santa Teresa Mountains
• Sevenmile Mountains
• Sierra Aguilada (partly in New Mexico)
• White Mountains (Arizona) (central-southern regions)

In Arizona, two other areas are also part of this ecoregion. One is the Kaibab Plateau, which is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The other is the Chuska Mountains region in northeast Arizona.

Mountains in New Mexico

The New Mexico section includes mountain ranges that extend east from the Arizona transition zone. The White Mountains (Arizona) area, which is high in elevation, stretches into about ten ranges in western-central New Mexico. These are west of the Rio Grande river.

East of the Rio Grande, there's a large group of mountains. These are mostly the Sacramento Mountains (New Mexico). They also extend southeast into the Guadalupe Mountains.

In the central-north part of New Mexico, also east of the Rio Grande, are the Sandia Mountains and Manzano Mountains. West of the Rio Grande, heading northwest towards the Chuska Mountains on the Arizona-New Mexico border, are other mountain ranges. These are also considered part of the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains ecoregion.

Images for kids

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  Limber pine

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  Utah juniper

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  Western chokecherry leaves and berries

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  Big sagebrush

• Elymuselymoides.jpg

  Bottlebrush squirreltail

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  Needle-and-thread grass

• Rabbitbrush.jpg

  Rubber rabbitbrush

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  Spiny hopsage

• Pinyonjay.jpg

  Pinyon Jay, found in juniper-pinyon woodlands

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  Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the Snake River system

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  American avocet at Summer Lake

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  Sage grouse in shrub-steppe habitat