The colors of autumn become apparent in the trees around the Steward Observatory on Mount Lemmon.
A lizard shades itself in the city. A squirrel forages in Summerhaven. Each occupies a specific niche of the ecology, unaware of the other.
Such is the biotic range that finds its most visible expression along the Catalina Highway, where in as little as an hour motorists can see saguaros and chollas give way to oak and juniper forests, pine and oak woodlands, and the stands of aspen and fir where Mount Lemmon tops out at 9,157 feet. Along the way, views from the Babad Do’ag, Molino Canyon and Windy Point overlooks will find a permanent place in your memory bank. The highway starts along Tanque Verde Road, northeast of Tucson.
