Nature & Science

Petrified Forest National Park is located in the greater Painted Desert—they are not two separate parks. While the Painted Desert encompasses about 1500 square miles, the park is over 200,000 acres—and not desert! Actually the main environment is short-grass prairie or intermountain-basin, semi-arid grassland. It is dry here, but there is snow in the winter and rain during the monsoon. Explore the varied species that make their home in this demanding environment.

 

 

iNaturalist is a great resource and community. Explore and share your observations from the natural world. This site creates a space for keeping track, sharing data, identify organisms, become a citizen scientist, build your knowledge, and join a project. Join at iNaturalist.org. The site works on all your devices.