Overview
Discover how the majestic saguaro cactus serves as a vital desert ecosystem, providing homes for woodpeckers and owls while its flowers nourish bats, doves, and sustain Tohono O'odham harvest traditions. A venerable saguaro cactus stands like a statue in the hot desert landscape, its armlike branches reaching fifty feet into the air. From a distance it appears to be completely still and solitary--but appearances can be deceptive. In fact, this giant tree of the desert is alive with activity. Its spiny trunk and branches are home to a surprising number of animals, and its flowers and fruit feed many desert dwellers.
Gila woodpeckers and miniature elf owls make their homes inside the saguaro's trunk. Long-nosed bats and fluttering white doves drink the nectar from its showy white flowers. People also play a role in the saguaro's story: each year the Tohono O'odham Indians gather its sweet fruit in a centuries-old harvest ritual.
In this first volume of Sierra Club Books' Tree Tales series, a simple, easy-to-read text and appealing drawings document the life cycle of this amazing cactus tree and the creatures it helps to support. Readers will come away with a better understanding of and a lasting respect for this accomodating giant of the desert.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781578050857
- ISBN-10: 1578050855
- Publisher: Gibbs Smith
- Publish Date: September 2002
- Dimensions: 11.02 x 8.18 x 0.15 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.36 pounds
- Page Count: 28
- Reading Level: Ages 6-10
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