Desert Animals Get Out — And Get Busy — During Arizona Monsoon Season

By Tony Paniagua
Published: Thursday, July 2, 2015 - 7:19am
Updated: Thursday, July 2, 2015 - 8:25am
Audio icon Download mp3 (1.42 MB)
National Park Service
The Sonoran Desert toad, also known as the Colorado River toad.

The monsoon’s high humidity and temperatures may be uncomfortable for a lot of people, but it’s a vital season for nature in the desert.

The monsoon’s rains replenish water supplies, which provide needed moisture for plants and animals such as toads. These amphibians spend the rest of the year underground, but the monsoon is their wake-up call.

The toads don’t have a lot of time to reproduce — their temporary desert pools may only have water for a few days.

“This is their one chance in a year to mate, reproduce and also feed,” said Sandy Reith, an environmental educator with Pima County.

Reith said our summer’s tropical-like weather promotes a flurry of activity. Birds, centipedes, plants, tarantulas, toads and other animals get busy.

“The monsoon is a great time to get out there and do some wildlife watching because many of these species, that’s the only times we may see them active is during the monsoon,” said Reith. “However, be careful when you’re out there, especially during thunderstorms.”

Typically, the Sonoran Desert gets about half of its annual rainfall from June to September.

Science