Avi Kwa Ame National Monument ~ Beneath Monsoonal Clouds

AUGUST 2024

August brings the start of monsoon season in Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. Brought on by warm temperatures, dramatic thunderheads form in the sky, sometimes resulting in cooling afternoon rains. When these rains develop into larger storms, the desert welcomes a late Summer season of fertility that is quite distinct from that of Spring. The monsoon season can cause thousands of sphinx moth caterpillars to emerge to forage on the sudden burst of foliage before digging back down into the soil to pupate. Ephemeral ponds may emerge, along with red-spotted toad tadpoles and even mysterious tiny shrimp, known as fairy shrimp.