The Arada Desert is one of the most unique places on Earth, it’s only there because the Central Mountains are just tall enough to create a rain shadow.
It is a temperate desert, it gets so cold it often snows over in winter, and so hot in summer that streams dry up.
The sand is also unique as it is volcanic sand, it is golden yellow because it is a yellow pumice ash that coated the whole desert.
The flora and fauna have to deal with many clashing extremes, hot summer cold winter, now water at all, and piles of snow, lots of sun, overcast.