The Canelo Hills Cienega Reserve, is a nature preserve southeast of Sonoita, Arizona

Sonoita, Arizona

Sonoita is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 826 at the 2000 census....

 on the east side of the Canelo Hills

Canelo Hills

The Canelo Hills Cienega Reserve, is a nature preserve southeast of Sonoita, Arizona on the east side of the Canelo Hills. The area's are a mix of rare cienega wetland and Black Oak and Arizona Fescue fields. The preserve is notable for the extremely rare Canelo Ladies Tresses Orchid and the...

. The area's 260 acres (105.2 ha) are a mix of rare cienega

Cienega

A cienega or cienaga is a Spanish Colonial term for a spring, that is in use in English in the southwestern United States. A cienega usually is a wet, marshy area at the foot of a mountain, in a canyon, or on the edge of a grassland where groundwater bubbles to the surface...

 wetland and Black Oak and Arizona Fescue fields. The preserve is notable for the extremely rare Canelo Ladies Tresses Orchid (Spiranthes delitescens) and the Gila chub

Gila Chub

The Gila chub is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It is found in Mexico and the United States. The Gila Chub is closely related to Gila robusta robusta and Gila robusta grahami...

 and Gila sucker that grow along its alkaline banks. The ranch was purchased by the Nature Conservancy in 1969 from the Knipes family. and was designated a National Natural Landmark

National Natural Landmark

The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...

in December 1974.

External links

• Arizona chapter of the Nature Conservancy (site is now managed by Ramsey Ranch location)