page_title: Piestewa Peak
section_title: Natural history
hierarchical_section_title: Piestewa Peak / Natural history
caption_attribution_description: English: Ringtail in Phoenix, Arizona -- http://www.RobertBody.com
context_page_description: Piestewa Peak, at 2,610 feet is the second highest point in the Phoenix Mountains, after Camelback Mountain, and the third highest in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. It is located in the Piestewa Peak Recreation Area within the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, near Piestewa Parkway. Piestewa Peak is named in honor of Army Spc. Lori Ann Piestewa, the first known Native American woman to die in combat in the U.S. military, and the first female soldier to be killed in action in the 2003 Iraq War.
context_section_description: As a landform, Piestewa Peak is relatively young, formed roughly 14 million years ago. However, it is composed of much older rock, primarily schist.
  Flora in this area is typical of the lower Sonoran Desert and includes almost all varieties of Arizona cactus such as saguaro, barrel, hedgehog, pincushion, jumping cholla and prickly pear. Trees and colorful shrubbery include palo verde, mesquite, ironwood trees, creosote (dominate), ocotillo, brittle bush, desert lavender and giant sage shrubs.
  Wildflowers are abundant in the early spring and include Mexican gold poppies (deep yellow), brittlebush (yellow), lupine (purples), desert globemallow (orange) and scorpionweed (purple). Fiddleneck and bladderpod also are blooming in some areas. These are in addition to the many varieties of flowering cacti.
  Many species of reptiles thrive in the preserve, including gila monster, horned lizard, chuckwalla, and western diamondback rattlesnake. The mammal population includes coyote, bobcat, jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, ground squirrel and kit fox. There are several species of birds that inhabit the preserve, including turkey vultures, mockingbirds, cactus wrens, Gambel's quail and several species of owls and hawks.
caption: Ringtail at Piestewa Peak
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