Description
“Deserts aren’t as bereft of life as they seem; their barren landscapes can beef up a remarkable variety of plant and animal life, though it will require a patient and skilled naturalist to reveal its mysteries. John Alcock is just this kind of naturalist. . . . Alcock provides delightful insights into how insects provision their developing young, how parasites find their sufferers and how flowers attract pollinators. A book of this kind allows its creator, more accustomed to the rigours and constraints of writing academic papers and books, to relate revealing anecdotes and simply to express their fascinating for natural history. . . . Books such as this serve a very important function in bringing the mysteries of the desert to the attention of a much broader public.” —Times Literary Supplement