Guardian of the East Mesa

In the very beautiful, very new residential/commercial area centered around Sonoma Springs Road and Northrise Boulevard, the medians and sidewalk areas are very beautifully landscaped. A light version of xeriscaping is used, with many plantings of Palo Verdes trees, mesquites, Texas Mountain Laurels, lantana, and other desert-y plants.

One of the developers near Sonoma Springs Elementary School placed a beautiful bronze mountain lion statue at the beginning of their particular stretch of homes. I love traditional public art, and the lion looks quite at home with the Organ Mountains to his back. 

We have actual mountain lions here, as well as many other desert denizens, such as roadrunners, gray foxes, coyotes, cottontails and jackrabbits, and the occassional coatimundi passing through. We also have elk, deer, and amazingly,  the African Oryx, settled here decades ago on the White Sands Missle Range by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and now residing up in the Organs in sizable numbers.