Nestled in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona, Sabino Canyon demonstrates the beauty and resiliency of life in what many would assume to be a most inhospitable place. For thousands of visitors each year, this oasis in the Sonoran Desert offers the opportunity to experience biodiversity in action. David Lazaroff has called on years of studying, photographing, and educating people about Sabino Canyon to produce this clearly written and beautifully illustrated book. Focusing on the importance of Sabino Creek both to plants and animals and to human recreation, he tracks the ebb and flow of canyon life through the year and tells how people have sought to utilize the canyon through history. First-time visitors to Sabino Canyon will find their experience enriched through Lazaroff's insights into plants, animals, and geology, while those who regularly frequent Sabino's trails or pools can become better informed about its fragile desert and riparian habitats. For anyone curious about life in a genuine Southwestern oasis, this book captures the beauty and uniqueness of a natural treasure-house located in a bustling city's back yard.

Sabino Canyon: The Life of a Southwestern Oasis

History

Lazaroff, David Wentworth

Americas

University of Arizona Press

Even in paradise, one needs to be mindful of what’s underfoot. The Sabino Canyon Recreation Area is a desert oasis in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, a rich repository of wildlife and a favorite destination for Tucsonans and visitors for more than a century. This book presents annotated and illustrated descriptions of the amphibians and reptiles found at Sabino Canyon and an overview of their natural environment. Representing a study spanning nearly twenty-five years, it documents their present and past distribution and examines environmental and herpetofaunal change due to physical, biological, and human impact on species and habitats. In this first publication to describe Sabino Canyon’s biota in scientific detail, three expert authors pool their knowledge to provide a detailed discussion of ecological change—especially as a consequence of drought, flooding, the introduction of exotic species, and direct human impact. Suburbia has arrived on the canyon’s doorstep, and human visitation has soared, inalterably affecting the area. Of particular concern, breeding habitats for amphibians were profoundly altered by flash flooding in Sabino’s streams following the 2003 Aspen Fire, which ravaged large parts of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The book contains richly detailed accounts of the 57 species found at Sabino—25 snakes, 17 lizards, 8 toads and frogs, 6 turtles, and 1 salamander—emphasizing their local ecology and the behavior likely to be witnessed by visitors. Physical descriptions and numerous photographs—many in color—facilitate identification. Up-to-date distribution maps provide an essential baseline against which future researchers can measure change. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Their Habitats at Sabino Canyon is essential for anyone who seeks to understand this desert oasis, how it has changed, and how it may change in the future. Written with minimal technical jargon to make it as useful to students and visitors as it will be to scientists and resource managers, it makes a vital contribution to our understanding of creatures underfoot whose habitat we seek to share.

Amphibians, Reptiles, and Their Habitats at Sabino Canyon (The Southwest Center Series)

Science & Math

Lowe Jr., Charles H.

Rosen, Philip C.

Biological Sciences

The University of Arizona Press

<div>Sabino Canyon, a desert canyon in the American Southwest near Tucson, Arizona, is enjoyed yearly by thousands of city residents as well as visitors from around the world. Picturing Sabino tells the story of the canyon's transformation from a barely known oasis, miles from a small nineteenth-century town, into an immensely popular recreation area on the edge of a modern metropolis. Covering a century of change, from 1885 to 1985, this work rejoices in the canyon's natural beauty and also relates the ups and downs of its protection and enjoyment. The story is vividly told through numerous historical photographs, lively anecdotes, and an engaging text, informed by decades of research by David Wentworth Lazaroff. Along the way the reader makes the acquaintance of ordinary picnickers as well as influential citizens who helped to reshape the canyon, while witnessing the canyon's evolving relationship with its growing urban neighbor. The book will fascinate readers who are already familiar with Sabino Canyon, as well as anyone with an interest in local or regional history, or in historical photography.</div>

Picturing Sabino: A Photographic History of a Southwestern Canyon (Southwest Center Series)

There is a sense of mystery that surrounds hummingbirds: Why are they so small? What makes it possible for them to hover? Why are they so colorful? Do they ever rest? This book gives the often amazing answers. The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds takes the reader into the high-energy world of North America's smallest bird. Hearts that beat 500 to more than 1200 times per minute. Wings that buzz at as much as 52 beats per second. And respiration that can clock in at up to 600 breaths per minute. But their energetic lifestyle is only one facet of the secret lives of hummingbirds. Illustrated with twenty-nine full-color photographs, The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds is a treat for birders, naturalists, or anyone else who can't resist the allure of these eye-catching, pugnacious miniature birds. The book also includes a close-up look at the Desert Museum's famous hummingbird aviary as well as tips on how to enjoy and attract wild hummingbirds. It's no wonder that The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds is our most popular publication!

The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds

Sports & Outdoors

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Pr

What exactly is a desert? How can I attract hummingbirds? Are cactus spines poisonous? Is a javelina a pig? This book provides detailed answers to 42 questions that the staff at the Desert Museum are most often asked. Supplemented with nearly 100 illustrations, this 200 page book is broken down into three sections: getting to know the desert, the desert as one's backyard, and enjoying the desert. Seven useful appendixes cover a range of topics including hummingbird gardening, venomous bites and stings, climate, and additional sources of information about desert life. A fun way to learn how wild and fascinating our deserts really are!

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Book of Answers