Land of Extremes

Hot, dry, cracked, and baked earth blushes with color from the sunset. The desert turns green and blooms with a burst of rain. It grows frosty sculptures on plants and rocks when temperatures drop below freezing. Biologically rich, the desert teems with life at dawn and quiets by noon, as animals take shelter from the heat. The National Park Service preserves places where adaptation is a way of life. Explore the extreme and complex life of the desert.