The Louise Lindsey Merrick natural environment
1 primary work • 2 total works
Book 12
To the nature lover, Mexico is a biological paradise, possessing the greatest natural diversity in North America. With only one-fourth the land area of the United States, it possesses as many plant species (some twenty thousand) and many more kinds of animals than its northern neighbor. Yet the tourist attractions of Mexico that are known to most visitors are the cities, the beaches, and the archeological sites. Little is available to guide the visitor through Mexico's magnificent outdoors. Roland Wauer found long ago that the two ingredients of nature he enjoyed most were the discovery of new birds and the exploration of the remote habitats where they occur. Since 1966, he has made annual trips into Mexico to pursue these interests. From his adventures he has compiled an indispensable companion for anyone visiting Mexico with an interest in the country's spectacular natural environment. He introduces us to all parts of Mexico's outstanding diversity, from its arid lowlands and coastal islands to the forested uplands and humid jungles, once home of the ancient Mayans. He offers vivid word pictures of tropical forests and the northern deserts. Twenty-nine color photographs and thirty-nine black-and-white shots provide further reason to explore the flora and fauna that thrive off the beaten path. This unique introduction to Mexico's avifauna--and the rest of its natural environment--is designed to aid either in preparation for a trip or during a trip to Mexico. It offers a fascinating invitation to find, enjoy, and respect the diverse and magnificent world of tropical nature that exists there.
In southwest Texas, where the Rio Grande arcs southward into Mexico, lies Big Bend National Park - 708,221 acres of river floodplain, desert, grasslands, and majestic mountains. The wealth of the Big Bend is in its dramatic landscape, which provides natural habitats ranging from desert to alpine, and its consequently impressive variety of flora and fauna. Naturalist's Big Bend highlights the distinctive plants and animals of the region, such as the century plant, which grows twenty-five to fifty-five years, blooms magnificently, then dies; candelilla, from which wax is made; the giant dagger yucca; the javelina, North America's only native pig; the rare Texas lyre snake; the tarantula; and the Big Bend quonker katydid. This comprehensive field guide, revised and completely updated in a new edition, recounts the area's archaeology and history, describes the characteristics and habitats of Big Bend's remarkable variety of plants and animals, and outlines walking and driving tours of the most likely spots for sighting these natural wonders.