THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER

Arizona is best known for its red-colored landmarks: Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the Vermilion Cliffs. But there are other colors, too, including the White Mountains, the Blue River and the green acres of Southern Arizona.

A PORTFOLIO BY JOEL HAZELTON

PRECEDING PANEL: With Baboquivari Peak on the horizon, afternoon light colors the grassland of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. "This was on my first trip to the refuge, which I spent driving and exploring the scenes along Pronghorn Drive," photographer Joel Hazelton says. "I liked the way the cloud formations mimicked the patterns of the vegetation in the foreground and middle ground."

LEFT: Morning light paints a forest of ocotillos on the eastern slopes of the Santa Rita Mountains. Hazelton made this photo after a stormy and sleepless night in the back of his car. "I dragged myself out of the car later than I'd hoped, but I was able to hike far enough to get this shot," he says.

RIGHT: Wildflowers reach toward a monsoon sunset in a meadow between the Canelo Hills and the San Rafael Valley. "The sunset and the breeze both cooperated with me that evening," Hazelton says.

The Baboquivari Mountains, topped by Baboquivari Peak, dominate the horizon in a view from Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. “The refuge is one of the few areas I've photographed that are so vast and open that I could compose wide-angle-style photos with a telephoto lens to balance the foreground and background elements,” Hazelton says.

A spot along Ruby Road between Nogales and the ghost town of Ruby offers an evening view of the Coronado National Forest's rolling hills. "The landscape along Ruby Road is unique for this region," Hazelton says, "because the topography varies between rugged peaks and gentle hills." AH