Temperatures in winter can fall below freezing and the spring, although pleasant suffers from the Khamsin, the scathing wind bringing dust storms in off the desert. Heavy rains fall in coastal areas during winter. Egypt is well know for it's migratory as well as more than 150 species of local birds. These range from sandpipers, spoonbills, herons and storks to quails, egrets, flamingos and almost all the birds of prey one can think of. The Nile can boast almost 200 species of fish with of course the Mediterranean and Red seas offering many more.
Insects can be somewhat of a plague for humans and the animals alike.
In spite of the lack of rainfall, the natural vegetation of Egypt is varied. This growth is even more striking in the wadis of the Red Sea Hills and of Sinai and in the Elba Mountains in the southeast. Robust perennial reeds such as the Spanish reed and the common reed are widely distributed in Lower Egypt, but the papyrus, cultivated in antiquity, is now found only in botanical gardens. The date palm, both cultivated and subspontaneous, is found throughout the Delta, in the Nile Valley, and in the oases. There are very few native trees.