"[A] coloring book, filled realistic illustrations, [which] follows wildlife and plants--from tiny lizards and delicate flowers to coyotes and giant saguaros--through a twenty-four-hour cycle"--P. [4] of cover.

A picture book with fun and lively illustrations, written in verse about desert animals. The author explores differences between the critters that sleep during the day and those that sleep during the night. Informative text following the verses provides children with additional facts about a variety of desert creatures.

"Highlights the activities of animals in the Sonoran Desert during one average 24-hour period"--

"A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert provides the most complete collection of Sonoran Desert natural history information ever compiled and is a perfect introduction to this biologically rich desert of North America."--BOOK JACKET.

In the darkness of the star-studded desert, bats and moths feed on the nectar of night-blooming cactus flowers. By day, birds and bees do the same, taking to blooms for their sweet sustenance. In return these special creatures pollinate the equally intriguing plants in an ecological circle of sustainability. The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically diverse desert in the world. Four species of columnar cacti, including the iconic saguaro and organ pipe, are among its most conspicuous plants. No Species Is an Island describes Theodore H. Fleming’s eleven-year study of the pollination biology of these species at a site he named Tortilla Flats in Sonora, Mexico, near Kino Bay. Now Fleming shares the surprising results of his intriguing work. Among the novel findings are one of the world’s rarest plant-breeding systems in a giant cactus; the ability of the organ pipe cactus to produce fruit with another species’ pollen; the highly specialized moth-cactus pollination system of the senita cactus; and the amazing lifestyle of the lesser long-nosed bat, the major nocturnal pollinator of three of these species. These discoveries serve as a primer on how to conduct ecological research, and they offer important conservation lessons for us all. Fleming highlights the preciousness of the ecological web of our planet—Tortilla Flats is a place where cacti and migratory bats and birds connect such far-flung habitats as Mexico’s tropical dry forest, the Sonoran Desert, and the temperate rain forests of southeastern Alaska. Fleming offers an insightful look at how field ecologists work and at the often big surprises that come from looking carefully at a natural world where no species stands alone.

Surveys the wildlife inhabiting five prominent North American deserts and shares detailed alternating day and night views, in a guide that also includes maps, overviews of desert environments and creature facts.

An intimate and informative portrait of a single day in the Sonoran Desert captures the plant and animal life of the region, in a richly illustrated study that offers personal anecdotes and observations about the region. Reprint.