The Sonoran Desert in autumn, after the heat, is beautiful. Hackberries and wolfberries emerge and barrel cacti blossom. Wildflowers open out in magenta, saffron, Indian red, and burnt orange, feeding butterflies and bees. Snakes map...
moreThe Sonoran Desert in autumn, after the heat, is beautiful. Hackberries and wolfberries emerge and barrel cacti blossom. Wildflowers open out in magenta, saffron, Indian red, and burnt orange, feeding butterflies and bees. Snakes map their route to winter sleep, lizards grow sluggish, and winged raptors— wintering hawks, kestrels, falcons, and owls— soar above the cover of fallen petals from summerblooming perennials. And yet, the pastoral desert is also predatory. Lacerated mesquite trees bleed black sap. Cacti of all shapes and sizes protect themselves with spikes and spurs. Deadly heat, especially in high summer, leeches moisture from flesh, leaf, bone, and tongue. Bullets target humans and animals, leaving corpses and despair in their path. Migratory trails, littered with debris and remains, are haunted by the ghosts of the men, women, and
