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City Cast Las Vegas

Let us help you find Mother Nature in this concrete jungle.

Ubiquitous in the local desert thanks to its drought tolerance, the mesquite has long been a versatile, useful plant in the Southwest. The bark could be used to weave baskets. Its pods can be turned into flour, and the tree was a key source of protein for desert-faring Indigenous peoples. Its flowers can be boiled into tea, while its sap has been put to a variety of medicinal uses, whether applied directly to a wound or turned into a gargle for sore throats.

They’re hardy survivors, mesquite trees, with roots that can reach 100 feet or more into the earth in search of moisture. It’s said that during especially dry periods, the seeds can sit dormant for decades waiting for sufficient water.

Thanks to the mesquite’s versatility and climate adaptability, there are those who think that the tree could serve as the foundation of a 

 that might help alleviate poverty in drying Southwestern areas. In terms of food provided for water used, ecologist Gary Nabhan says, “I don’t know any desert crop that beats mesquite in terms of productivity.”

Mesquite trees are a versatile, durable resource in the desert.

Mesquite Trees Are a Versatile, Durable Resource in the Desert

The Durable, Versatile Mesquite Tree

Urban Almanac

Now that (fairly) decent strolling weather is (almost) upon us — according to the National Weather Service, 

 — here’s an idea: Try UNLV’s 11-stop, self-guided “arboretum walk.” Not only does it let you, a nonstudent member of the general public, commune with nature, your Fitbit will dig the step count — it’s a 1.2-mile course.

Your tour begins here. Completed in 1988, this 2-acre anthology of desert-friendly plants near the Barrick Museum was 

among the city’s first demonstration gardens

This is the long, grassy sward that runs parallel to Maryland Parkway. It has some of the oldest trees on campus, and its pastoral vibe is said by school literature to be a conscious nod to the Jeffersonian ideal of a college as an “academic village.”

Located a few steps down from the iconic “Flashlight” sculpture, this was donated by Elaine Wynn in honor of her mother. It’s said she chose Showbiz roses to note her and (now ex-husband) Steve Wynn’s prominence in the Vegas entertainment scene.

Outside the Bigelow Physics Building is an apple tree. Why? Think of Isaac Newton, and the reason will hit you. Science humor!

It seems the state forestry folks designate the largest specimen of a tree species as a “champion tree.” 

Download the PDF Map

 in Las Vegas. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

Take a Tree-Lined Autumn Stroll at UNLV

The second best thing about (non-flood-causing) rainfall in Southern Nevada is that it gives everyone a moment of drought-hope as they nod and say, “We sure needed that.” 👀 But the best thing? Petrichor.

Petrichor is the term for the scent after a rain — a couple of Aussies 

 from the Greek words petra, which means 

, and ichor, which refers to the fluid in the veins of the gods. (Lotta good cat-naming implications in that one.) It can exude from rocks and soil, as rain activates bacteria lodged there; but mostly it comes from plants, and here in the Mojave, 

. Rain prompts the bushes to release certain protective oils and compounds into the air, and that fragrance — earthy, slightly sweet — has become beloved by desert dwellers. Indeed, Arizonans think it 

One theory holds that humans find petrichor so appealing because for millennia we have depended on rain for survival. But petrichor may do more for you than impart a mild post-deluge euphoria. Research by the University of Arizona into the Sonoran Desert’s petrichor 

 released by desert plants after a rain that “may in many ways contribute to improving sleep patterns, stabilizing emotional hormones, enhancing digestion, heightening mental clarity, and reducing depression or anxiety," says research scientist Gary Nabhan.

So maybe it's true that we sure needed that.

Why the Desert Outside Las Vegas Smells Good After a Rain

Why the Desert Smells So Good After a Rain

Did you know hundreds of bird species live in Clark County? Whether they’re year-round or migratory, living in the city comes with risks. But we can help. Morrigan DeVito, from the

, offers some tips for a bird-friendly backyard:

Putting out a dish of water and cleaning it regularly will entice smaller birds to come drink and bathe. Place the water dish half under a bush or similar shade so small birds feel safe from predators.

Native plants are drought- and heat-tolerant, require minimal watering, and provide food for local wildlife. Some finch and sparrow favorites are desert sunflower, saltbush, and amaranth grain. Warblers love palo verde trees, verdins love creosote, and hummingbirds love firecracker penstemon.

, which harms species that are already suffering population declines. If this is a tough ask, consider keeping cats indoors during the morning, when birds are most active.

Birds don’t recognize that the reflection in a window is not passable, which 

causes billions of window collisions a year

, especially during the spring and fall when birds are migrating. Adding decals to your windows can help; break up the reflection by spacing them a few inches apart.

The neonicotinoids found in pesticides are 

, so eating seeds coated in pesticides is fatal. And since many birds eat insects, ingesting contaminated bugs can hurt them. Not to mention, if there are fewer insects, there will be less for insect-eating birds to dine on.

A few easy ways to create an avian hangout

Turn Your Las Vegas Yard into a Bird Habitat

Turn Your Yard Into a Bird Habitat

Sure, they defecate on themselves, vomit at strangers, and eat the most gawdawful things — but that doesn’t mean turkey vultures are the drunken frat bros of the animal kingdom. No, those behaviors, as gross as they are to us judgey humans, are merely some of the bird’s survival strategies.

Turkey vultures, so named because of their vague resemblance to a Thanksgiving main course, are found near Las Vegas. (Indeed, I 

.) You can spot them in the air by their distinctive wing posture: tips slightly forward to create a shallow V shape, and “the trailing edge of the underwing is white,” says 

Up close, their bald crimson heads are unmistakable. But that unfeathered dome serves a purpose. As notorious eaters of carrion — which they can smell from as far as eight miles — turkey vultures jam their heads into some pretty foul, germ-laden places. The baldness prevents microorganisms from clinging to their heads. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a bird this ugly doesn’t have a lovely song. 

OK, the pooping/peeing on themselves. On their feet, to be precise. It (a) 

 (try it yourself; it works!); and (b) fends off organisms from the rotting flesh they eat. The vomiting usually happens when the vulture is threatened. “If they target the predator’s face, the material can be blinding.” You don’t say.

What makes much of the vulture’s grotesque lifestyle possible are powerful stomach acids that neutralize the nasty shit one encounters in dead flesh: rabies, botulism, distemper, anthrax. Which means this butt-ugly bird is likely doing more than you or I to keep nature clean. A good bird, then — as long as it 

They may have gross habits, but these ugly birds serve a vital function.

The Gross Way Southern Nevada's Turkey Vultures Keep Their Cool

The Gross Way A Turkey Vulture Keeps Its Cool

“I hate Nevada. I know that just beneath the scrubby face of this desert beats a complex ecology no less beautiful in its way than the cool green business that goes on in the tide pools of the Pacific, but I don’t care.” — Craig Vetter, “Striking It Rich”

That's the desert for you — easy to acknowledge, difficult (for many) to care about. But the novelist quoted above is not wrong about the “complex ecology” that goes largely unseen. A big example of that is what’s called the “desert crust.” A more science-ish name is “cryptogamic crust”; a more poetic one is “desert glue.”

It might look like ordinary crispy dirt, scorched dark by exposure — but still just dirt. Not so. It’s a complex web of microorganisms: lichens, mosses, fungi, cyanobacteria. And while it might lack the aquatic allure of a Pacific tide pool, it’s nonetheless vital: The crust stabilizes the desert floor against erosion, helps plants retain water, and, crucially, pulls nitrogen from the atmosphere for the benefit of desert plants.

“The desert would not be able to support plant and animal life without these crucial ecosystem services!” the Southern Nevada Conservancy 

For all that, the desert crust is remarkably fragile, and damage — whether by your errant footfall or construction of a 

 — takes years, even decades to recover from.

What might look like crunchy dirt is actually a web of microorganisms that's vital to the desert's health.

Southern Nevada's Desert 'Crust' — Incredibly Fragile, Utterly Vital

Desert 'Crust' — Incredibly Fragile, Utterly Vital

Fun flora fact: Fully one-quarter of plant species that live in the Mojave Desert live 

, which only grows in four American counties: one each in Arizona and California, and, in Nevada, Nye and Clark counties. That small area of viability makes the penstemon vulnerable to extinction — a condition that various human endeavors are making worse — which is why this year the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the feds to list it as endangered.

 concluded that there were almost 34,000 penstemon in Clark County.

There’s long been talk of building a second, cargo-oriented airport to serve Southern Nevada. Where? The Ivanpah Valley, near Primm. Were that to happen, it 

“could wipe out much of the flower’s Clark County population.”

 The rest could be threatened by urban sprawl. Meanwhile, proposed solar and power-line facilities in Nye County might trash the flower’s other Nevada stronghold. Other threats include off-roading and livestock grazing.

Even without large-scale development in the flower’s habitat, a 2021 study commissioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found 

 for the wildflower in the next 50 years due to climate change and habitat destruction.”

The white-margined penstemon is already rare and vulnerable — and humans aren't helping.

A Fragile Desert Flower Outside Las Vegas Needs Protection

A Fragile Desert Flower Seeks Endangered Status

Not long ago, the Review-Journal published a fun but demanding 

10-question quiz about Nevada’s wildlife

. You should take it. Not to brag, but I scored a perfect 10 out of 10 — on my second try, which is why I’m not bragging. I got just five right the first time. Below are a few of the questions I missed, plus a couple more I concocted on my own. Answers at the end.

 How many pounds can the horns of a bighorn sheep weigh?

 How many pups per litter do coyotes usually have?

 Early miners in Northern Nevada were known to use ichthyosaur vertebrae as

Softball bases / dinner plates / novelty poker chips / percussion instruments

 How many venomous species live in Nevada?

D: 32 (26 arachnids, five rattlesnakes, and the gila monster). 

Test Your Nevada Wildlife Knowledge

🕷️ Life in the big city is a mixed blessing if you’re a black widow.

On the upside, the lifestyle can be great. Humans create waste, which ensures a smorgasbord of the spider’s favorite bugs. Lotta water, too, at least compared to the desert. The crime rate is favorable: “Natural predators like parasitic wasps, which eat spider eggs, don’t tolerate cities well,” 

. Perhaps their only natural enemy is the Orkin man. The human-built environment is better, too; more out-of-the way places to hide, spin webs, and lay eggs. “A cactus can do that,” says Arizona State University biologist Chad Johnson, who’s studied this, “but not as reliably as just a city full of concrete walls.”

The downside? The heat — specifically the scorching heat-island effect so prevalent in urban settings. Studies by scientists at Arizona State indicate that extreme urban heat hinders black widows in key ways. High temps often render the widows more lethargic. Baby spiders raised in het “were underweight … and more prone to cannibalizing their fellow spiderlings,” for one. It’s thought that heat-related hormone spikes alter their metabolism and lead to premature molting. “If it’s hot enough,” says Dr. Allen Gibbs, life sciences professor at UNLV, many spiderlings “don’t make it to adulthood.”

And yet, paradoxically, they thrive in cities. “Populations of urban spiders,” says the New Times, “are 10 to 15 times denser than in the desert.”

(More shudders: My take on scorpions, and 

City life is a mixed blessing for black widow spiders.

What Do Urban Heat Islands Mean for Black Widows?

Black Widows in a Time of Heat Islands

These invaders are trouble — it’s right there in the lumpy sound of their name: 

. Ugh. They’re not native to North America, but they’re in waterways all over the continent — including Lake Mead. Reproducing in huge numbers, they colonize intake pipes and other industrial structures; they junk up boat engines. 

, each adult “filtering one or more liters of water each day,” removing the organisms that native species feed on. And this relentless eating clears up the water, which isn’t the upside it sounds like: “Improved water clarity increases light penetration (which can) alter the entire ecosystem.”

And there’s not been much we can do about them. Once these suckers establish a slimy foothold, there’s no financially viable way (chemicals, predators) to eradicate them. However, the Interior Department has been funding research in what 

 as some promising directions: sequencing the quagga genome to find exploitable weaknesses or  infecting them with mussel-specific diseases — what could 

These invaders are trouble — it’s right there in the lumpy sound of their name: quagga mussels.