The Desert Underground is a graphic, virtual tour of the hidden but magnificent world under the surface of desert soils, a realm that silently works under our feet every day. Readers are led along an illustrated tour through our desert soils, delving deeper and deeper into the underground. This tour reveals the amazing partnerships that connect every plant underground across the landscape, and illustrates the interlocking biological and geological systems that work together to create a surprising carbon sponge that helps combat climate change wherever desert soils remain intact. Congratulations to Robin Kobaly on making desert soils intriguing. This book contains a broad array of technically accurate information, and it drew me into the fascinating underground world with colorful examples and metaphors. It is heartening to know that there are such talented and committed people working to protect our desert landscapes by raising awareness about the importance of living soils. Brava! --Sophie S. Parker, PhD, Senior Scientist, The Nature Conservancy in California This is one of the most amazing and impactful presentations I've ever seen or read. The passion for communicating this amazing story is evident throughout. [Kobaly has] taken a complex topic and conveyed it in terms that are sure to have an affect on the audience. The artwork and the text work in concert to take what might otherwise be a dense and bookish topic and make it come alive for the average person. -- Jeff Lovich, PhD, FLS, Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center Robin Kobaly is a botanist and plant ecologist with expertise in plant communities across the Mojave, Sonoran, and Southwest deserts. She serves as Executive Director of The SummerTree Institute, an environmental education nonprofit, and is president and cofounder of The Power of Plants, her informational endeavor devoted to inspiring people to join in the thrill of knowing, protecting, planting, and thoughtfully using native plants of the American Southwest. Robin has bachelors and masters degrees in Biology and Plant Ecology from the University of California, Riverside, and has over 30 years of experience in plant ecology, wildlife biology, land use management, aerial photo interpretation, and natural history interpretation, including work as a botanist for the federal government for 21 years. Robin was awarded the 2018 Minerva Hoyt Conservation Award by Joshua Tree National Park Association for her contributions to education, research, and preservation of the California desert. She helped lead the effort to form the Sand to Snow National Monument, was co-founder of The Wildlands Conservancy, and served as preserve manager of Big Morongo Canyon Preserve for a decade.