Treasures of the Wild: Desert Springs to Life

If you can ignore the slightly arid scripting here (the phrase "desert springs to life" is used at least three times), this overview of North American deserts…um…springing to life, from award-winning Canadian filmmakers Karvonen Films, offers a visually striking look at the Sonora, Mojave and Chihuahua deserts. Originally inland seas which dried up, the deserts today are scorched landscapes where rain may not fall for two years or longer. Yet, not only do the deserts support a wide variety of plant and animal life--from horned lizards and kangaroo rats to prickly cacti and Joshua trees (which, incidentally, are not trees but yucca plants), their harsh climate exacts ingenious adaptations in those flora and fauna which hope to survive. This adaptive quality is beautifully illustrated when a thunderstorm provides the necessary moisture for a beautiful sea of flowers to virtually spring to--er, blossom to life overnight in gorgeous color. A pleasant, handsomely-lensed introduction which offers insight into desert ecology combined with lots of nature footage, Desert Springs to Life is recommended. Other titles in the series include: Mirror of the Forest, Haunt of the Barred Owl and Journey to Baja. Aud: E, I, P. (R. Pitman)