STEP 1 – The Water

Water in the Desert

We live in a desert. In town we water our grass, plants, and trees, so our town does not look like a desert. We get only 8 inches or so of rain a year. A lot of our rain evaporates. Winds carry the wet air away from us. But some of our rain sinks into the ground. That is called infiltration. We can pump that water up using wells.

Desert plants and desert animals have adaptations, so they use very little water.

• Cactus store water in their stems.
• Rabbits stay in the shade all day. They come out in the cool mornings or dusk, when the sun goes down.

People can adapt to living in the desert too. One way is to grow beautiful desert plants in your yard. They need less water.