Rust, Dust, Crust - Discovering Desert Surfaces

McDowell Sonoran Conservancy

The Hills are Alive! If you think the desert floor is all dust, gravel and rocks, then you haven’t taken a good look beneath your feet. The desert’s surface is full of life in the form of soil crust, lichen and desert varnish – the living things that probably cover more of the desert than any single kind of plant. These organisms have much in common — they’re all alive (yes, even varnish), they have some components that are neither plant nor animal and living filaments that are crucial to their existence. We’ll explore these life forms and how they enrich and protect the desert surface. 

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