Desert Plotholes

NPS/Evelyn Tewksbury

Each of these three stories from Arches National Park are missing some important words. Fill in the blanks in the stories to create fun new ones. Choose words from each of the following categories and plug them into each story to complete the activity. Read aloud with friends and family, chuckle, and repeat!

Create your own Desert Plothole story

Step 1: Pick words for each category

• Plural animal
• verb (an action word)
• number greater than 1
• location
• food
• plural sharp object

Step 2: Substitute your words into one (or more!) of these stories

Cactus Makes Spur-fect

There are over [number greater than 1] species of plants found in [place]. One of these iconic desert plants is the prickly pear cactus. Instead of leaves, they grow many [plural sharp object] to protect them from hungry herbivores like [plural animal] and bighorn sheep. We can’t blame these critters for wanting a taste though! Prickly pears grow delicious fruits that taste like a mix of strawberry and [food]. Whether you see their lovely blooms in late spring or accidentally [verb] on one and feel their sharp [plural sharp object], these plants are pretty unforgettable.

See Arches' story

Making Some Good Points

Many people don’t realize that [plural animal] live in Arches National Park. They [verb] up trees, as high as [number greater than 1] feet! These pokey animals are most active at night, due to the [place] heat. [plural animal] are herbivores and mainly eat the [food] around them. Despite popular belief, they do not actually shoot [plural sharp object] out of their body.

See Arches' story

Back at the Ranch...

[Number greater than 1] years ago, John Wesley Wolfe moved from [place] to the location that is now Arches National Park. He was a smart man, sharp as a [sharp object], and figured the dry desert air would help him heal from a war injury. He grew a big garden and raised some [plural animal] at his ranch. His grandchildren, Esther and Ferol, loved to [verb] with the [plural animal], and treated them as pets. Every year, his family would save a [food] in the cellar as a special treat for Christmas.

See Arches' story

Step 3: Share your results

• Read yours out loud with friends and family
• Tag us (@archesnps) on

Where this belongs

• Arches National Park

Where this page came from

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