DESERTS

Folklore and media  has created a mythological place where a big, bright, hot sun beats down mercilessly on an expansive sea of sand, an almost featureless landscape. It is usually viewed as a place where you will likely die if you were to venture too far out in it. Images of cow skulls, vultures roosting on a cactus, and occasionally a lone, half-crazed, unshaven individual who has ended up somehow in the vastness, crawling half-naked and dying from thirst, murmuring, "water...water!", as he hallucinates a palm tree and water laden oasis in the distance.

Actually deserts are not all the same, and only a few are actually like the above. It's true, most are arid and semi-arid areas of our planet Earth that have relatively sparse vegetation and limited water supply. And yes, rainfall in the desert is generally scarce and unpredictable.

Deserts cover 14% of the world's surface, about eight million square miles. They are also the hottest places on earth. And though we usually think of a desert as always hot, some desert night temperatures can frequently drop to below freezing.  Neither are all deserts truly dry. It's true, some have no water at all, but some have rivers or streams running through them and some have lakes. 

In general, many feel a dislike for the desert as it seems so inhospitable. They are the least appreciated of wilderness sanctuaries. It's true one needs to plan ahead if they venture far away from those resources we take for granted such as a water faucet, but the desert is really a beautiful place once you get to know it. They are a refuge for the human spirit. There are many who feel the desert is really an enchanted place. They are correct. The scenery in some deserts is as beautiful as any place on earth. And of course, there are people who live their entire lives in desert surroundings. Most learn to  respect the desert like a sailor respects the sea.

To many, the desert seems to have little life in it, when in reality there are a great variety of plants and animals. Though it appears lifeless, there are many intricate living systems. Nature has developed special species that have adapted to the harsh environment. Flora and fauna alike abound. With each, the cycle repeats itself. Some life forces lie dormant when it's hot, awaiting eventual rainfall that they need before they can spring forth.

There are deserts in many parts of the world. Here in North  America, the deserts comprise of close to 500,000 square miles of land, mostly in the southwestern part of the US and  northern Mexico. The American deserts are comprised of four main divisions. They are commonly called the  Chihuahuan, the Sonoran, the Mojave, and the Great Basin.

Perry Jasper 2010