Stayin’
Alive
Juicy Plants
Where rain
is unreliable and water is
ial tissues in their
ec
sp
in
er
at
w
e
or
st
ts
an
Succulent pl
ulents and
cc
su
e
ar
i
ct
ca
l
al
—
es
av
stems, roots, or le
agaves and
as
ch
su
ts
an
pl
rt
se
de
e
ur
many signat
water storage. Taking
of
rm
fo
e
m
so
e
tic
ac
pr
yuccas
e plants collect large
es
th
ll,
fa
in
ra
ic
ad
or
sp
of
advantage
ide-spread,
w
ith
w
e
tim
t
or
sh
a
in
er
quantities of wat
an agave, the
of
se
ca
e
th
In
s.
em
st
sy
shallow root
to the plant’s base.
ly
ct
re
di
er
at
w
in
ra
ct
re
di
leaves
in short supply, plants and
Frugal Plants
animals must adapt to an arid
The stems and leaves of m
environment or die. Despite
the Arizona Upland’s two
rainy seasons, precipitation
is unpredictable—a summer’s
any desert plants have a w
axy coating
that reduces evaporation.
To conserve water, leaves
are small or
sometimes nonexistent. D
rought deciduous plants w
ill even
shed their leaves when it
gets too dry; they may look
dead
but they are actually just
marking time until it rains
again.
The ocotillo is a drought de
ciduous shrub that acts lik
ea
succulent and can respon
d to rain with new leaf gr
owth
in just a few days.
worth may fall all in one day
or months may go by with
none. Desert plants and
animals must be able to take
advantage of rain when it does
come, save water for the future,
or wait out dry times.
Short-lived…
Racy Toads
mming sound
ru
d
e
th
d
n
a
r
e
d
n
u
The rumble of th
ring Couch’s
b
r
o
o
fl
rt
se
e
d
e
th
of monsoon rain on
er 11 months
ft
a
ce
a
rf
su
e
th
to
spadefoot toad
reproduce
to
r
te
a
w
d
e
e
n
ts
o
fo
e
underground. Spad
w ephemeral
o
ll
a
sh
in
r
e
th
a
g
l
il
and hundreds w
for survival,
ce
ra
a
In
r.
e
m
m
su
pools to mate each
and the
y
a
d
a
in
h
it
w
h
tc
a
fertilized eggs h
bout 9 days.
a
is
d
a
to
to
le
o
p
d
countdown from ta
Self-sufficient
“In the desert… rain falls down wet a n
by growing and
r
e
th
e
g
to
ll
a
t
h
g
u
dro
Other plants avoid
nuals produce
n
a
se
e
h
T
.
n
so
a
se
t
gle we
reproducing in a sin
etimes for
m
so
s,
d
o
ri
e
p
g
n
lo
ormant for
seeds that can lie d
are right.
s
n
io
it
d
n
co
n
e
h
w
erminate only
g
n
e
th
d
n
a
s,
e
d
ca
e
d
er displays,
w
o
fl
d
il
w
g
n
ri
sp
’s
the desert
Examples of this are
e early
iv
rr
a
t
a
th
s
in
ra
r
te
pendent on win
which are highly de
rigold will
a
m
rt
se
e
d
e
k
li
ts
is
. Opportun
and last into spring
fficient rain.
su
is
re
e
th
r
e
v
e
n
e
h
bloom w
…but Showy
tadpole symbolizing
spring rains
d gets up green.” — Alberto Ríos
Neither kangaroo nor rat,
the nocturnal kangaroo ra
water. This water-smart ro
de
t never drinks
its food, metabolizing wat
nt gets all the moisture it
er from carbohydrates in th
it eats — one gram of gras
produces ½ gram of “met
s seeds
water.
needs from
e dry seeds
abolic”
s
r
e
g
d
o
D
s
u
t
Cac
e summer
th
s
ld
ra
e
h
t
a
th
g sound
That loud buzzin
s dodger”
tu
c
a
c
“
r
o
a
d
a
ic
ale desert c
m
a
is
n
o
o
s
n
o
m
is cool in the
h
p
e
e
k
e
h
n
a
c
te. How
calling for a ma
cicadas
,
s
u
e
k
li
t
s
Ju
?
y
dry June da
middle of a hot,
m extracts
te
s
y
s
g
n
li
o
o
c
e
aporativ
sweat! Their ev
e surface
th
to
it
s
ie
rr
a
c
blood and
water from their
moving
re
ly
k
ic
u
q
,
s
te
re it evapora
e
h
w
x
ra
o
th
e
of th
t.
excess body hea
Background rain photo © Thomas Wiewandt /
www.wildhorizons.com
kangaroo rat illustration © 1999 Zackery Zdinak and
Couch’s spadefoot illustration © 2003 Zackery Zdinak
cicada illustration © 1996 Anne E. Gondor
quote from “Sometimes It Rains” by Alberto Rios
in The Dangerous Shirt, Copper Canyon Press, 2009