A Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide to the Deserts of the SouthwestNewly revised and updated, The Deserts of the Southwest is a comprehensive field companion to the plants, animals, geology, topography, climate, and ecology of the American Southwest. A perennial classic, it describes the four deserts -- the Great Basin, Mohave, Chihuahuan, and Sonoran -- which together stretch into nine southwestern states and Mexico. The topography, geology, and climatic conditions of these arid lands set the stage for one of the most fascinating of ecological studies: the survival and adaptation of animal and plant life in the severe, often extreme desert climate and terrain. Abundantly illustrated with line drawings, maps, charts, and diagrams, The Deserts of the Southwest offers both the outdoor adventurer and the armchair naturalist a clear and detailed portrait of this complex, beautiful, and fragile wilderness. "This book should help any desert adventurer, neophyte or seasoned traveler, to be better prepared." -- Desert News "Peggy Larson has given us...a fine handbook for the newcomer who wants to know more about what he sees, and even for those of us who have lived here for many years." -- Arizona Highways. |
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adapted agaves amount animals approximately areas arid Arizona Arizona coral arthropods backpacking Baja California Basin Desert bighorn birds branches burrows cacti cactus Chihuahuan Desert color Colorado cooling coral snake creosote bush Crotalus Death Valley dehydration desert country display elevations environment evaporative extreme feet in height Gila monster ground squirrel ground surface grow Gulf habitat hiker hiking inches in length insects Joshua tree leaves living lizard located lower mammals mesquite Mexico miles Mohave Desert moisture mountain night North American desert occasionally occur pack rats palo verde particularly percent plant portions precipitation primarily produce rain range rattlesnake rattlesnake bite reach reptiles rocks sagebrush saguaro salt sand scorpion sculpturatus seeds Shreve shrub signal skin soil Sonoran Desert southern species spiders spines sting stomata summer survival sweat tail tarantula tion vegetation vehicle venom walk western winter yucca