This site was created to illustrate the richness of flora and fauna found in remote areas of semi-arid Eastern Washington, and in many places illustrates ecological dependencies. The site is intended to provide a source of new visual information that's otherwise nonexistent or very difficult to find on the Web. The site has been designed and organized using common terms to provide easy access for most people searching its content, to help satisfy immediate curiosity at the point of greatest interest, and to provide a pathway to more in-depth information when available: the site refers to others that provide complementary and authoritative information.

Unless otherwise stated, all photographs, recordings, maps, artwork and other content are original and protected by copyright law. They are not to be used for any purpose without express written permission. To request use of photos or other materials for academic and non-profit purposes, to support local businesses that value and seek to promote their natural surroundings please contact fredbentler@gmail.com.

Also, please let me know if you find a mistake or broken page.

Artwork in the site's banner designs are from oil paintings provided courtesy of Barb Bentler Ullman, artist and writer.

This site is a personal project, using photos from personal trips around semi-desert Eastern Washington and researched and developed incrementally over a span of years, for the most part in the golden hour after the kids have been put to bed, instead of watching TV. The site is independent from any organization or group but does implicitly support and refer to such organizations as Audubon Society, Washington Native Plant Society, Xerces Society, NABA, herpetological groups, various universities, and government agencies with interests in protecting our natural heritage.

The site used to display contextual advertising, but I dropped it. In too many cases, advertising didn't fit the subject (vacation cabins in Florida), or looked tacky (Washington DUI lawyers), or promoted products and services which went completely against the spirit of the site (Exterminator Services on pages about beneficial insects). The site continues to provide links to books where appropriate and helpful to readers though.

The photos provided on this site are mixed quality. Photos are edited deliberately to provide visual information first, even if aesthetics aren't ideal-- and then are replaced over time as better ones are acquired and as time permits to update them.