I’ve lived in Arizona for ten years now.

Ten hundred-degree summers,

ten air conditioned Thanksgivings,

ten snowless Christmases,

and ten nohidingchocolatebunniesoutside Easters.

In these ten years, I’ve learned a thing or two about the desert and just recently realized (through blog and facebook comments) that you may not be aware of these amazing facts.

Doesn’t that make you sad?

Since I’m all about sharing my worldly knowledge, I’m turning What I Learned This Week into:

What I Learned This Decade

(because I can). (because it’s my blog).

1. If it crawls, slithers, or scrambles, don’t touch it (well, unless Daddy is around).

2. Drink water. Then when you’re done, drink more.

3. If a lizard gets scared, he will detach his tail and drop it in order to trick whatever is chasing him. The tail will continue to wiggle and move for up to 2 minutes afterwards. Ewwwww.

4. Let’s talk about cacti for a minute. Did you know that the plural of cactus is cacti? And that they can have flowers? And fruit?

This looks like an ordinary flower:

…but it’s a cactus.

It’s a type of night blooming cactus, which means that it blooms once a year at night. This one was in my neighbor’s front yard. He has had the cactus for 7 years, and this is the first time it has bloomed.

Can we think about that for a minute? It blooms once a year (at most) for 24 hours. A-mazing, if you ask me.

5. It is possible for your leather seats to burn your legs.

6. Windchimes will (hopefully) deter rattlesnakes from visiting you.

7. Tin foil will (hopefully) deter woodpeckers from pecking at your house.

8. Quail cross the road as a family. Often, you will see Mama Quail, followed by 10 or more tiny baby quail, followed by Daddy Quail. Always followed by Daddy Quail. It melts my heart.

9. We have a monsoon season. Normally (this year is not normal), for about 45 days during the beginning of July and lasting through the middle of August, there are thunderstorms every evening at about 4 pm. Heat lightening, thunder, and torrential rain flood the desert for about one hour, then it clears up and the sun comes back out. Oh, and it cools off a bit.

10. Colorado river toads (also called Sonoran desert toads) come out in droves during monsoon season. They sound like bleating goats (or screaming children, depending on the level of sleep they wake you from). The toads have a poison/venom in their body and on their skin that can cause hallucinogenic effects in humans. Yes, I have heard of dogs getting sick from picking the toads up in their mouths. Yes, children (not mine) have licked them and tried to get high. And yes, I have heard of adults licking them and trying to get high.

Can we think about that for a moment, as well?

Ok. Let’s not.

*gag*

Tell me something about where you live that non-locals wouldn’t know…