I think this is a Joshua tree which is not native to the Sonoran Desert where Oro Valley is located. Joshua trees are typically found in the Mojave Desert ecosystem. That said, there are clearly small pockets or islands of Mojave Desert within the Sonoran ecosystem that probably respond to small micro climates (elevation, water availability, etc.) which determine the vegetation that grows there.
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." --Marcel Proust ………
In school, I was a visual learner....
