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Sycamore Creek, Mazatzal Mountains

Sycamore Creek drains a good portion of the western slopes of the Mazatzal Mountains, a north-south oriented range marking the boundary between Maricopa and Gila Counties, Arizona. As the creek flows south and west it begins among ponderosa pines, traverses pinyon-juniper woodlands, rugged granite boulders and finally meanders through Upland Sonoran Desert before joining the Verde River. The lower portions are dry except during brief downpours whereas the upper reaches are shady oases with many grand trees, especially Arizona Sycamore. It is a haven for birds and wildlife, but also many recreationists arriving from the hot desert metropolis, Phoenix.

Map of Sycamore Creek and Mount Ord

View Sycamore Creek in a larger map. The Bee Line Highway follows Sycamore Creek, crossing it several times. The upper portion, marked with green, flows through a diverse gallery of riparian trees and shrubs. The lower portion, marked with brown, reaches the hot Sonoran Desert where desert scrub predominates outside of the riparian corridor.

Arizona Sycamore trees provide shade next to an abandoned segment of the Beeline Highway near Sunflower, Arizona.

When SR-87, also known as the Beeline Highway was widened, this older segment in the riparian corridor of Sycamore Creek near Sunflower was abandoned. Thus the trees and wildlife habitats are preserved and are much quieter.

A shrine placed in memory of Steve Proctor, a motorist killed at this spot near Sycamore Creek.

Now, SR-87 is four lanes, divided, and presumably safer. This marker has been maintained by family or friends in this peaceful spot along the old route where one can walk and view wildlife safely for several miles near the creek.

Mid May is a very busy season among the trees in riparian canyons. Temperatures are usually warm, pushing 30° C+ during the day. Many of the trees bare fresh new leaf growth that is highly palatable to insect larvae. And, that mean an abundance of food for hungry nestlings of many bird species. This Black Phoebe nest was found under a culvert and has been constructed from sticky mud and strands of grass. Soon the nestlings will fledge and require more soft insects to eat. Black Phoebes primarily catch soft-bodied, flying insects and rarely stray far from open water.

Black Phoebes in nest, Sayornis nigricans, photo © by Mike Plagens

Common and Interesting Plants along Sycamore Creek in the Mazatzal Mountains

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Trees & Shrubs
Arizona Sycamore	Goodding's Willow	Red Willow	Arizona Walnut	Net-leaf Hackberry	Velvet Ash
Velvet Mesquite	Catclaw Acacia	Wait-a-Minute Bush	Arizona Cypress	Salt Cedar	Wright's Thelypody
Fremont Cottonwood	Skunk Bush	Seep Baccharis	Desert Hackberry	Canyon Grape	Deer Grass
Desert Honeysuckle	Desert Broom	Desert Willow	False Indigo	Scrub Live Oak	Birch-leaf Mountain Mahogany
Shrubby Perennials
Horehound	Silver Wormwood	Desert Globe Mallow	Sand Wash Groundsel	Common Mullein	Western Poison Ivy

Herbaceous Perennials & Annuals
Spreading Fleabane	White Sweet Clover	Silver-leaf Nighshade	Prickly Lettuce	Spiny Sow Thistle	Annual Sunflower
Water Speedwell	Sacred Datura	Ivy-leaf Groundcherry	Iris-leaf Rush	Johnson Grass	Bermuda Grass
Prickly Poppy	New Mexico Groundsel	Clustered Dock	Common Scouring Rush	Scarlet Four O'Clock	Red Brome Grass

Fauna along Sycamore Creek

Frequent Birds
Phainopepla	Black Phoebe	Western Wood-Pewee	Brown-crested Flycatcher	Ash-throated Flycatcher	Western Kingbird	Black-chinned Hummingbird
Yellow Warbler	American Robin	Black-headed Grosbeak	Northern Cardinal	Summer Tanager	Turkey Vulture	Red-tailed Hawk
Lesser Goldfinch	Gila Woodpecker	Northern Flicker	Cactus Wren	Greater Roadrunner	Verdin	Hooded Oriole
Common Butterflies & Cool Insects
Buckeye	Queen	Arizona Red Spotted Purple	Arizona Sister	Orange Skipperling	Checkered White	Horsetail Sawfly
Two-tailed Swallowtail	Mourning Cloak	Spring Azure	Marine Blue	Lewis Soldier Beetle	Black Fly	Wood Ant