City Recreation, Oct. 17

Children and parents have known for years that the sports programs offered by Boulder City Parks and Recreation Department are top-notch.

To outsiders, the Joshua tree might look nightmarish and threatening, with its daggerlike spines and odd, sometimes grotesque growth habit. But to most Mojave Desert dwellers it is strikingly beautiful. In the morning light, or under a full moon, the Joshua tree’s silhouette is the definition of drama. And because they grow almost nowhere else, to see one is to know we are home.

Now is the time of year you’ll probably be seeing and hearing more hummingbirds around Southern Nevada. If you want to attract them to your yard or patio — and who doesn’t — think about putting up a hummingbird feeder. While this is an easy task, it does come with a commitment of changing the nectar and cleaning the feeder.

If you can’t get outdoors to enjoy the sights and our natural treasures right now, a great thing to do would be to find out more about them on the internet. One good choice might be to learn more about rock art, specifically petroglyphs and pictographs, as there is a large concentration in our area.