Southern Arizona Nature Almanac [Paperback]

Roseann Beggy Hanson (Author), Jonathan Hanson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003

Southern Arizona is a not only a world-class travel destination, it's also a region with so many natural attractions that even its residents never run out of places to explore. The Southern Arizona Nature Almanac reveals the incredible diversity of the desert Southwest by highlighting its most compelling features and natural phenomena for each month of the year: blooming plants, wildlife activity, places to visit, weather, and prominent constellations. From migratory birds to snakes to insects, the almanac will show you what to expect in the sky or under your feet, no matter what season you venture out. In addition to original illustrations by Jonathan Hanson, the guide includes photos and weather charts. Handy appendixes include lists of birds, mammals, reptiles, butterflies, and a desert plants "blooming calendar." Accessible to the fledgling naturalist and detailed enough for the natural scientist, the Southern Arizona Nature Almanac is a definitive resource guide to the natural wonders of this fascinating land.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A detailed, definitive guide to the natural phenomena of Southern Arizona . . . a valuable reference tool for both casual and detailed scientific inquiry." —Desert Leaf "The Hansons analyze, categorize, and bring to life every month of the year." —Tucson Citizen "An abundance of information in short and sprightly bites, adding up to a definitive guide. . . . In all, it's quite an impressive achievement and well worth the investment." —Santa Cruz Valley Sun "A reference guide both scientifically accurate and immediately understandable to naturalists of all abilities. . . . Peppered with illustrated anecdotes of desert fauna, black-and-white photographs, personal reflections and helpful tables (from monthly weather reports to safety tips on lightning and Africanized bees), theirs is a welcome addition to all bookshelves and backpacks." —Tucson Weekly

From the Inside Flap

Southern Arizona is a not only a world-class travel destination, it's also a region with so many natural attractions that even its residents never run out of places to explore. The Southern Arizona Nature Almanac reveals the incredible diversity of the desert Southwest by highlighting its most compelling features and natural phenomena for each month of the year: blooming plants, wildlife activity, places to visit, weather, and prominent constellations.

From migratory birds to snakes to insects, the almanac will show you what to expect in the sky or under your feet, no matter what season you venture out. In addition to original illustrations by Jonathan Hanson, the guide includes photos and weather charts. Handy appendixes include lists of birds, mammals, reptiles, butterflies, and a desert plants "blooming calendar." Accessible to the fledgling naturalist and detailed enough for the natural scientist, the Southern Arizona Nature Almanac is a definitive resource guide to the natural wonders of this fascinating land.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816523053
• ISBN-13: 978-0816523054
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #911,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Newcomer to Southern Arizona Should Read this Book!, February 11, 2007

By 

B. Gores (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Southern Arizona Nature Almanac (Paperback)

Someone recommended this book to me when I first moved to Tucson after living "up north" all my life. I had relocated to Arizona for a job and was in somewhat of a state of culture shock at the lack of green grass, no four seasons, etc. This book was a real god-send for me. It breaks the year into 12 months and describes what is happening in the environment in terms of climate, wildlife, plant life, and the constellations. It is filled with fun-facts and things to do and watch for, so adults and children alike will find this book fun and interesting to read. It is fascinating learning about the unique-ness of the Sonoran desert and it made me really appreciate how incredible and diverse it really is! I now recommend this book to everyone (native or newcomer) and buy it regularly as a "welcome" gift to my colleagues that relocate here from other parts of the country. I highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Personal Account of a Great County, July 1, 2011

By 

David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Southern Arizona Nature Almanac (Paperback)

I spent five years in Pima County, while I attended the University of Arizona. During that time I roamed over much of the area, as well as the surrounding counties, looking for beetles and arachnids, bird watching, and during one very productive spring, making a plant collection for a course in systematic botany. The huge county (9000 square miles - almost nine Rhode Islands!) varies from low desert at the start of the Camino del Diablo near Ajo to high mountain forests up to over 9,000 feet elevation in the Santa Catalina Mountains above Tucson and covered with Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, bigtooth and Rocky Mountain maples, and aspen. It does indeed deserve its own book.

Roseann Beggy Hanson and Jonathan Hanson have published just such book and I hardily recommend their "Southern Arizona Nature Almanac" to anyone living in or visiting the area. The book cover all sorts of subjects, many not found in other books on the areas involved. My only gripe is their lack of coverage for the Arachnida, as they seem to barely mention scorpions and spiders (mostly as food for vertebrates), while discussing rattlesnakes, lighting safety, rabies in bats, Africanized bees, and other safety issues. As an arachnologist I'm a bit prejudiced, but I do think that visitors should be warned about avoiding scorpions, violin spiders and black widows! Still this is more a personalized almanac than exactly a guidebook. Fortunately there are several excellent volumes for the Sonoran Desert (which makes up much of the county) to consult. In any case the book has a large amount of information in it on the flora, fauna and night skies of locations, such as the Buenos Aires and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuges, Baboquivari, the Rincon Mountains, the Quinlan Mountains, and Rose Canyon Lake,among others, with which I am very familiar.

Such a book is to be read and savored as a taste of places and organisms that can be seen in this remarkable county. Buy this book to get the flavor of the area and pick up a few guides (such as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's "A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert") and you will be well served.