The desert-like south Okanagan Valley is one of the most remarkable grasslands in British Columbia.

It is not quite dry enough and too cold on average to be a true desert and is often called a "pocket desert." It is more correctly termed a shrub-steppe. Nevertheless, its cactus, rattlesnakes and scorpions hint at its relationship to the true deserts of the southwestern United States. Typical animals range from California Bighorn Sheep to a myriad of dryland insects.