Desert 101

Saguaro taking shelter from a palo verde tree in Brenda, AZ
Desert 101
Chris Clarke

Desert Nurses

In order to make it through its first year, a desert shrub seedling usually needs a little help: a bit of protection from the elements and from hungry jackrabbits.

It needs a nurse.

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creosote
Chris Clarke

How to Appreciate Old-Growth Desert

I don’t mean to diss the scenic wonders and grand botanical oddities; they still call to me, and I answer as often as I can. But I don’t need oddities nearby to have my mind blown by the desert. The commonplace will do that just fine.

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Desert 101
Chris Clarke

Why You Should Love the Desert

The desert has long been the red-headed stepchild of the environmental movement, the place that few really want to adopt, to protect. Even after a century of lyrical paeans to

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silhouette photography of group of people jumping during golden time
Desert 101
Chris Clarke

Not Lifeless, Not Barren

“This is like finding the Amazon rainforest in the middle of the Mojave Desert.” That’s what NASA scientist Paula Bontempi said of a remarkable 2012 discovery regarding phytoplankton in the

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