logo to home
climate
Climate
adapting
Adapt
plants
Plants
animals
Animals
resources
Links
Home >
Site Map | Email | Copyright
RESOURCES ON THE DESERT ECOLOGY OF TUCSON, AZ
Bibliography | Organizations/Agencies | Places to Visit

This section includes an abbreviated bibliography (below), an abreviated list of locally-important organizations/agencies, and some ideas on places to visit in the Tucson area. Please note that these lists are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather an introduction to the extensive resources available on the desert ecology of Tucson. Click on this symbol (top1dg) to jump back to the top.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
| General | Physical Setting | Desert Climate | Plants | Animals | Humans |

GENERAL top1sf 

BOOKS

  • Alcock. J. 1994. Sonoran Desert Spring. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
  • Alcock. J. 1990. Sonoran Desert Summer. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
  • ASDM (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum). 2000. A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert. Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press.
  • Bowden. C. 1992. The Sonoran Desert. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
  • Bowers, J.E. 1997. Fear Falls Away and Other Essays from Hard and Rocky Places. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
  • Bowers, J.E. 1991. The Mountains Next Door. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
  • Broyles, B. 1996. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
  • Cowles, R.B. and E.S. Bakker. 1977. Desert Journal: Reflections of a Naturalist. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Evans, D. 1993. Saguaro National Monument. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
  • Hanson, R.B. and J. Hanson. 1996. Discovering the Desert Museum and the Sonoran Desert Region. Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press.
  • Krutch, J.W. 1985. The Desert Year. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. (First Published 1952)
  • MacMahon, J.A. 1985. Deserts. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (Audubon Society Nature Guide)
  • Nabhan, G.P. 1997. Cultures of Habitat: On Nature, Culture, and Story. Washington D.C.: Counterpoint.
  • Helms, C.L. 1980. Sonoran Desert: The Story Behind the Scenery. Las Vegas, NV: DC Publications.
  • Kirk, R. 1973. Desert: The American Southwest. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
  • Larson, P. 1977. A Sierra Club Naturalist’s Guide to the Deserts of the Southwest. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
  • Lazaroff, D.W. 1993. Sabino Canyon: The Life of a Southwestern Oasis. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
  • Olin, G. 1994. House in the Sun: A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
  • Page, J. 1984. Arid Lands. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books. (Planet Earth Series)
  • Tweit, S.J. 1992. The Great Southwest Nature Factbook. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Books.
  • Van Dyke, J.C. 1976. The Desert. Tucson: Arizona Historical Society.
  • Zwinger, A.H. 1989. Mysterious Lands: A Naturalist Explores the Four Great Deserts of the Southwest. New York: Truman Talley Books/Plume.
ONLINE
PHYSICAL (GEOLOGICAL) SETTING tob1se 

BOOKS

  • Chronic, H. 1983. Roadside Geology of Arizona. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Company.
  • Fiero, Bill. 1986. Geology of the Great Basin. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press.
  • Nation, D. and E. Stump. Geology of Arizona. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publ. Co.
ARTICLES
  • Thayer, D. 1991. The Geological Origin and Travels of the Tucson Mountains. Sonorensis 12(1): 7-10.
DESERT CLIMATE top1sd 

BOOKS

  • Bohren, CF. 1987. Clouds in a Glass of Beer: Simple Experiments in Atmospheric Physics. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
  • Ludlum, D.M. 1995. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Weather. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
  • Meinel, A. and M. Aden. 1983. Sunsets, Twilights, and Evening Skies. Cambridge, Great Britain: Cambridge University Press.
  • Schaefer, V.J. and J.A. Day. 1981. A Field Guide to the Atmosphere. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Peterson Field Guide Series)
PLANTS top1sc 

BOOKS

  • Plant Identification
    • Ayer, E.H. 1989. Arizona Wildflowers: A Guide to Common Species. Frederick, CO: Renaissance House.
    • Benson, L. 1982. The Cacti of the United States and Canada. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
    • Benson, L. and R.A. Darrow. 1981. Trees and Shrubs of the Southwestern Deserts. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
    • Bowers, J.E. 1989. 100 Desert Wildflowers of the Southwest. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
    • Bowers, J.E. 1993. Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Deserts. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
    • Desert Botanical Garden. 1988. Wildflowers: A Guide to Identifying, Locating, and Enjoying Arizona Wildflowers and Cactus Blossoms. Phoenix: Arizona Highways.
    • Dodge, N.N. 1985. Flowers of the Southwest Deserts. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
    • Earle, W.H. 1980. Cacti of the Southwest. Tempe, AZ: Rancho Arroyo Book Distributor.
    • Epple, A.O. 1995. A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. Helena, MT: Falcon Press Publishing Co.
    • Fischer, P.C. 1989. 70 Common Cacti of the Southwest. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
    • Heil, K.D. 1993. Familiar Cacti. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (Audubon Society Pocket Guide)
    • Jaeger, E.C. 1969. Desert Wildflowers. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
    • Kearney, T.H. and R.H. Peebles. 1960. Arizona Flora. 2nd edition with Supplement by J.T. Howell and E. McClintock. Berkeley: University of California Press.
    • Leake, D.V., J.B. Leake, and M.L. Roeder. 1993. Desert and Mountain Plants of the Southwest. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
    • Nelson, R. and S. 1996. Field Guide to Common Desert Cactus of Arizona. Phoenix: Primer Publishers.
    • Niehaus, T.F. 1984. A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Peterson Field Guide Series)
    • Parker, K.F. 1972. An Illustrated Guide to Arizona Weeds. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
    • Primer Publishers. 1985. Easy Field Guide to Common Desert Cactus of Arizona. Phoenix: Primer Publ.
    • Shreve, F. and I.L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
    • Spellenberg, R. 1994. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
    • Tucson Citizen. 1972. Southern Arizona Wild Flower Guide. Tucson: Tucson Citizen.
    • Vines, R.A. 1960. Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of the Southwest. Austin: University of Texas Press.
    • Watts, M.T. and T. Watts. 1974. Desert Tree Finder: A Pocket Manual for Identifying Desert Trees. Rochester, NY: Nature Study Guild.
  • Other Plant Books
    • Hodge, C. 1991. All About Saguaros. Phoenix: Arizona Highways.
    • Houk, R. 1996. Wild Cactus. New York: Artisan.
    • Nabhan, G.P. 1985. Gathering the Desert. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
    • Steenbergh, W.F. and C.H. Lowe. 1977. Ecology of the Saguaro: II. Reproduction, Germination, Establishment, Growth, and Survival of the Young Plant. National Park Service Scientific Monograph Series No. 8.
    • Robichaux, R.H. ed. 1999. Ecology of Sonoran Desert Plants and Plant Communities. Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson.
    • Steenbergh, W.F. and C.H. Lowe. 1983. Ecology of the Saguaro: III. Growth and Demography. National Park Service Scientific Monograph Series No. 17.
    • Turner, R.M., J.E. Bowers, and T.L. Burgess. 1995. Sonoran Desert Plants: An Ecological Atlas. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.
ARTICLES
  • Rondeau, R.J., et al. 1996. Annotated Flora and Vegetation of the Tucson Mountains, Pima County, Arizona. Desert Plants 12(2):1-47.
ONLINE
ANIMALS top1sb 

BOOKS

  • Insects, Arachnids, and other Arthropods
    • Alcock, J. 1997. In a Desert Garden: Love and Death Among the Insects. New York: W.W. Norton.
    • Bailowitz, R.A. and J.P. Brock. 1991. Butterflies of Southeastern Arizona. Tucson: Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute.
    • Borror, D.J. and R.E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Peterson Field Guide Series)
    • Conniff, R. 1997. Spineless Wonders: Strange Tales from the INvertebrate World. New York: Henry Holt.
    • Evans, A.V. 1996. An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles. New York: Henry Holt & Co.
    • Friederici, P. 1997. Strangers in our Midst: The Startling World of Sonoran Desert Arthropods. Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press.
    • Glassberg, J. 2001. Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West. New York: Oxford University Press.
    • Imes, R. 1992. The Practical Entomologist. New York: Fireside.
    • Levi, H.W. and L.R. Levi. 1987. Spiders and Their Kin. New York: Golden Press. (A Golden Guide)
    • Milne, L. and M. Milne. 1996. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
    • Nelson, R. and S. Nelson. 1995. Common Desert Insects. Phoenix: Primer Publishers. (Easy Field Guide Series)
    • Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright. 1999. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Peterson Field Guide Series)
    • Putnam, P. and M. Putnam. 1997. North America’s Favorite Butterflies: A Pictorial Guide. Minocqua, WI: Willow Creek Press.
    • Pyle, R. M. 1995. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
    • Walton, R.K. 1995. Familiar Butterflies of North America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
    • Werner. F. and C. Olson. 1994. Insects of the Southwest: How to Identify Helpful, Harmful, and Venomous Insects. Tucson: Fisher Books.
  • Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles
    • Behler, J.L. 1997. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
    • Hanson, J. and R.B. Hanson. 1997. 50 Common Reptiles and Amphibians of the Southwest. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
    • Klauber, L. 1982. Rattlesnakes: Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. Berkeley: University of California Press (First Published in its entirety in 1956)
    • Nelson, R. and S. Nelson. 1995. Southwestern Snakes. Phoenix: Primer Publishers. (Easy Field Guide Series)
    • Smith, H.M. 1978. Amphibians of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. (Golden Field Guide).
    • Smith, H.M. and E.D. Brodie, Jr. 1982. Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. (Golden Field Guide).
    • Stebbins, R.C. 1985. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Peterson Field Guide Series)
    • Stebbins, R.C. and N.W. Cohen. 1995. A Natural History of Amphibians. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
  • Birds
    • Cunningham, R.L. 1990. 50 Common Birds of the Southwest. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
    • Davis, B.L. 1997. A Field Guide to Birds of the Desert Southwest. Houston: Gulf Publishing Company.
    • Davis, W.A. and S.M. Russell. 1999. Birds in Southeastern Arizona. Tucson Audubon Society, Tucson.
    • Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D.W. Wheye. 1988. The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. Simon & Schuster Inc., New York.
    • Farrand, J. Jr. 1988. Western Birds. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co. (An Audubon Handbook)
    • Gray, M.T. 1995. Watchable Birds of the Southwest. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Co.
    • Greenewalt, C.H. 1990. Hummingbirds. New York: Dover Publications. (First Published 1960)
    • Griggs, J.L. 1997. All the Birds of North America. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. (American Bird Conservancy’s Field Guide)
    • Lazaroff, D.W. 1995. The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds. Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press.
    • Miller, M. and C. Nelson. 1987. Hummers: Hummingbirds of North America. Boulder, CO: Johnson Books.
    • National Geographic Society. 1999. Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 3rd ed.. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society..
    • Nelson, R. and S. Nelson. 1995. Common Desert Birds. Phoenix: Primer Publishers. (Easy Field Guide Series)
    • Peterson, R.T. 1990. A Field Guide to Western Birds. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Peterson Field Guide Series)
    • Robbins, C.S, B. Brunn, and H.S. Zim. 1983. Birds of North America: A Field Guide to Bird Identification. New York: Golden Press. (Golden Field Guide)
    • Skutch, A.F. 1973. The Life of the Hummingbird. New York: Crown Publishers.
    • Stokes, D. and L. Stokes. 1996. Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Birds: Western Region. Boston: Little, Brown and Co.
    • Stokes, D. and L. Stokes. 1996. Stokes Field Guide to the Birds: Western Region. Boston: Little, Brown and Co.
    • Sutton, C. and R.K. Walton. 1994. North American Birds of Prey. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (National Audubon Society Pocket Guide)
    • Toops, C. 1992. Hummingbirds: Jewels in Flight. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press.
    • Uvardy, M.D.F. 1995. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Western Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
    • Walton, R.K. 1994. Songbirds and Familiar Backyard Birds: West. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (National Audubon Society Pocket Guide)
  • Mammals
    • Burt, W.H. and R.P. Grossenheider. 1980. A Field Guide to the Mammals: North America North of Mexico. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Peterson Field Guide Series)
    • Cockrum, E.L. and Y. Petryszyn. 1992. Mammals of the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. Tucson: Treasure Chest Publications.
    • Forsyth, A. 1999. Mammals of North America: Temperate and Arctic Regions. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books Ltd.
    • Hanson, J. and R.B. Hanson 1996. Desert Dogs: Coyotes, Foxes, and Wolves. Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press.
    • Hoffmeister, D.F. 1986. Mammals of Arizona. Tucson: University of Arizona Press and Arizona Game and Fish Department.
    • Nelson, R. and S. Nelson. 1995. Common Desert Mammals of Arizona. Phoenix: Primer Publishers. (Easy Field Guide Series)
    • Olin, G. 1988. Mammals of the Southwest Deserts. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
    • Sowls, L.K. 1984. The Peccaries. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
    • Whitaker, J.O., Jr. 1997. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
    • Wilson, D.E. and S. Ruff, eds. 1999. The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Washington/London: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  • Venomous Animals
    • Brown, D.E. and N.B. Carmony. 1991. Gila Monster: Facts and Folklore of America’s Aztec Lizard. Silver City, NM: High-Lonesome Books.
    • Cornett, J.W. 1994. The Black Widow: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Palm Springs: Palm Springs Desert Museum.
    • Cornett, J.W. 1993. Scorpions!: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Palm Springs: Palm Springs Desert Museum.
    • Ernst. C.H. 1992. Venomous Reptiles of North America. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
    • Flakus, G. 1993. Living with Killer Bees: The Story of the Africanized Bee Invasion. Oakland, CA: Quick Trading Company.
    • Foster, S. and R. Caras. 1994. A Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Peterson Field Guide Series)
    • Hare, T. 1995. Poisonous Dwellers of the Desert. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association. (Revised Edition)
    • Lowe, C.H. C.R. Schwalbe, and T.B. Johnson. 1986. The Venomous Reptiles of Arizona. Phoenix: Arizona Game and Fish Department.
    • Smith, R.L. 1982. Venomous Animals of Arizona. Tucson: University of Arizona College of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service Bulletin 8245.
    • Winston, M.L. 1992. Killer Bees: The Africanized Bee in the Americas. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  • General
    • Alcock, J. 1984. Animal behavior: an evolutionary approach, 3rd ed. Sinauer.
    • Alden, P., et al. 1999. National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southwestern States. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
    • Jaeger, E.C. 1961. Desert Wildlife. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
    • Kappel_Smith, Diana. 1990. Night Life: Nature from Dusk to Dawn. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
    • Kopp, A. 1996. Creatures, Critters and Crawlers of the Southwest. Santa Fe: New Mexico Magazine.
    • MacMahon, J.A. 1985. Deserts. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (Audubon Society Nature Guide)
    • Miller, M. and C. Nelson. 1996. Desert Critters: Plants and Animals of the Southwest. Boulder, CO: Johnson Books.
    • Murie, O.J. 1982. A Field Guide to Animal Tracks. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (Peterson Field Guide Series)
    • Schmidt-Nielsen, K. 1979. Desert Animals: Physiological Problems of Heat and Water. New York: Dover Publications. (First Published 1964)
    • Stall, C. 1990. Animal Tracks of the Southwest States: Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Nevada, Southern Utah, and Southwest Colorado. Seattle: The Mountaineers.
ARTICLES
  • May, M. 1991. Aerial defense tactics of flying insects. Am. Sci. 79:316-328.
ONLINE
HUMANS top1sa 

BOOKS

  • Fontana, B.L. 1989. Of Earth and Little Rain: The Papago Indians. Flagstaff, AZ:Northland Press.
  • Nabhan, G.P. 1982. The Desert Smells Like Rain: A Naturalist in Papago Country. San Francisco: North Point Press.
  • Sheridan, T.E. and N.J. Parezo. 1996. Paths of Life: American Indians of the Southwest and Northern Mexico. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
  • Trimble, S. 1993. The People: Indians of the American Southwest. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press.
  • Underhill, R. 1979. Papago Woman. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.