A Little Willow Magic

At 140 miles, the Verde is one of the longest rivers left in Arizona, comprising 10 percent of all riparian areas in Arizona, including one of the largest single expanses of cottonwood and willow trees. Along the Upper Verde River, ancient ruins and petroglyphs provide evidence of prehistoric human occupation for more than 9,000 years. The Verde River and its tributaries are one of the last places in Arizona where river otter continue to breed and both beaver and river otter thrive; other mammals that make their home along the Verde are bobcat, mountain lion, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and javelina. Here, a small willow tree is dwarfed by stratified limestone walls rising along the eastern shore of the river near Camp Verde, Arizona. November 3, 2008