Old growth forests are majestic. Deserts are possessed of a stark beauty. Steppes are… well, steppes. Understated in their terrain as well as much of their plant and animal life, steppe lands require a bit of education about them on the part of any visitor who wishes to perceive just what important as well as interesting places they are.
Which is why it’s a good thing indeed that five staff members of the Denver Botanic Gardens – Michael Bone, Dan Johnson, Panayoti Kelaidis, Mike Kintgen, and Larry G. Vickerman – all experts in their respective fields, joined together for the creation of the recently published Steppes: The Plants and Ecology of the World’s Semi-arid Regions. As one who has only recently – after some rather intensive field workshops on the subject – come to appreciate the subtle but fascinating ecology of steppe lands, I am very eager to delve in to what these five have seen fit to include in this intriguing new book.
