Page 5 - Winter 2016 flip 1

Friends oF red rock canyon 5

Sharon’s Slant By Sharon Schaaf

n “Portraits has to offer from snakes to lizards to insects
I of Nature,” to small mammals.
local artist and The book ends with a list of the Nevada birds,
author Roy Purcell fish, mammals, plants, invertebrates and reptiles
beautifully de- on the federal list of endangered and threatened
scribes the part of species. There is also a glossary, index and a list of
the Mojave Desert additional readings.
where we find Red
Rock Canyon. “To “Portraits of Nature” is available in the Elements
the untrained eye: Gift and Book Store in the Red Rock Canyon Visi-
barren ridges and tor Center or online at www.npbooksonline.com.
rocky canyons,
endless vistas, On October 15, I had the opportunity to spend
bajada slopes, a day with fellow bookworms at the Vegas Valley
dry playas, sand Book Festival in the Historic Fifth Street School
washes, cactus and in downtown Las Vegas.
creosote; rattle- During our hour-long pre-
snakes, scorpions, scorching temperatures, and no sentation, Chuck Williams,
water – yet what wondrous revelations, mysteries, Norm Kresge and I shared
and beauty awaits the journeyer. Life is hidden.” some of the stories from
Roy then shares that hidden life with us in paintings our history book “Seekers,
he created from 1995 through 1997. Saints & Scoundrels: The
Colorful Characters of Red
Helping Roy are four local museum curators and Rock Canyon” with an en-
directors and two local biology professors who thusiastic group of festival
wrote the plant and animal profiles that accompany attendees. After answering
each picture. questions, we got to talk
to more Red Rock Canyon
In this book, you will see the large number of supporters during a book
plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, signing.
insects and spiders with which we share our envi-
ronment. Along the way, I learned some interesting This was the fifteenth year for the festival cele-
facts about some of my favorite desert creatures. brating the written word, and we thank the organiz-
• The kit fox can run as fast as 25 mph, which ers for letting us be a part of this year’s event.
is pretty good for such a small animal. “Seekers, Saints & Scoundrels” is available in the

• Small flocks of Gambels’s quail are called Element Gifts and Book Store, online at Amazon
coveys. and at the Friends of Red Rock Canyon website,
• Those large ears on the black-tailed jackrab- www.friendsofredrockcanyon.org.
bit are used to get rid of its excess body heat. Special thanks to fellow Canyon Cleanup vol-
• The mostly nocturnal desert-banded gecko unteer Carol Swearingen for spotting “Portraits of
can be three to five inches long and is found Nature” in Elements and telling me about it.
throughout the Mojave Desert.
If you have a book suggestion for this column,
• The greater roadrunner is in the cuckoo fam- email me at news@friendsofredrockcanyon.org.
ily and eats almost anything the southwest

Winter 2017