A Night and Day in the Desert

The word “desert” comes to our language from a Latin word meaning “abandoned.” Though most people dismiss the desert as an empty, arid wasteland, this extraordinary place is home to more life than its appearance would suggest. For the desert, particularly at night, comes alive. Creatures as diverse as rabbits, spiders, bats, and coyotes are but a few of the species that go about the business of eating, breeding, living, and dying in this unique habitat. Even the scorching heat of the daytime sun does not prevent some hardier forms of life from venting forth. And when a sudden storm soaks the desert’s parched sands, plants and animals that have been hidden away from the heat for days, and even months, emerge in all their splendour.