|
Desert
Tour |
|
At the south west ends of the
states where the Saguaro cactus grows To the right of the mountains
where the rain shadow goes Is the hottest of deserts within
the Where live many a big horn sheep,
chuck-walla, and a few side winder snakes. At 25º North and 110º West Where The temperature there seems to
vary by grade For it changes so much whether
it’s in the sun or the shade; During the night it can reach a
very low low And at full peak of the day can
go as high as 134º. The bimodal rainfall creates a
high biological diversity throughout, And plants like wolfberry,
poppies, and lupines seem to spring all about. While the wolfberry seems to
stay low on the plain, The poppies and lupine seem to
find it the same. With a high gust of wind, the
sand blows all about For there is nothing to stop it
from blowing about; For the land is all flat and
covered in plains— No big bad old hills or
mountainous terrain. Sure there are the boulders and
a few Saguaro cacti, But no major land features to
cover your eyes; Just good old flat land and
plenty of rocks Which come in quite handy when
the temperature sucks. For it’s under these rocks that
Rattlesnakes find their home Where they can escape from the
heat before they head out and roam, And out on the rocks and into
the crags the big horn sheep reign— Their big feet are good for this
type of terrain. On occasion out on top of the
flat boulders is where I am hopin’ You’ll find a chuck-walla
sunbathing with its mouth spread wide open. In all of the animals, however,
there is a characteristic that I wasn’t quite sure in, Whether they can all retain their
water or concentrate their urine. For whatever the way or however
it goes, They all must be able to survive
for when no water flows. For the tortoise—aside from the
concentrated urine—has discovered a trick It can eat from the cacti and
never get pricked. For cacti, if you can remember,
have prickly spines Which to most is a deterrent,
but the tortoises don’t mind. A cactus, if you didn’t know,
can store water in its stem— The bigger the cactus, the more
water within. There is also the Sphinx moth
whose wings dissipate Through the process of
evaporation brought on by the heat. For some plants like the evening
primrose only open at night About the same time when the
long-nosed bat will take flight. During the summer some animals
will not be found Like the kangaroo rat who spends
that time under ground. So, from all of the clues from
which I have written Could you venture to guess which
desert you’re sittin’? It’s not the Mojave, but it’s
near the Chihuahuan. Which rules it out, it must be
the Sonoran. |