The Desert - symbol of strength, fortitude and survival

The desert - symbol of strength, fortitude and survival

I was rather set aback when a travel and nature blogger called the desert "dead." Nothing is further from the truth. The desert is filled with beautiful and resourceful life.

We are currently living in the desert four miles west-southwesst of Quartzsite, AZ.* We are on a flat plain a few hundred yards from the Dome Rock Mountains. Each day we spend some time just walking in the desert admiring the plant life and geology. Yesterday we went out for the sole purpose of identifying shrubs and trees right near where we're staying. We identified three different varieties of trees and four different shrubs. We had already identified six different cacti from the giant Saguaro to the tiny Hedgehog.

You must experience the desert to appreciate its grandeur. Its strength is beyond comprehension for most modern American city dwellers. The Sonoran Desert, in which we are living, gets a whopping 3-16 inches of rain a year. The ground is hard and rocky, covered with volcanic rocks, minerals and gemstones. If we tried to pick up and take all of the beautiful quartz that covers the ground around us, the truck wouldn't be able to move.

The Iconic Saguaro cactus (this one probably hundreds of
years old) along with the ubiquitous Ironstone tree.

The Saguaro cactus grows so slowly that a plant as tall as a man is at least 50-100 years old. The massive specimens around us are all well over 100 years old. The Ironwood tree is called the 'nurse plant' and is its own micro-environment. It is the epitome of strength, endurance and safe-haven. It can reduce temperatures under its boughs by 15 degrees which is important when temperatures can get to 122 degrees in the summer. It provides food which attracts insects and birds which attracts and provides food for predatory animals, and it is a haven for small animals and rodents. We have yet to see an Ironwood tree that did not have at least one burrow under its protection.

On one hike along a wash - a dry stream bed - I found three areas where the soil was damp even though it hasn't rained for weeks. Desert survival teaches that you can dig a hole in such areas and the hole will fill with water.

This is the story of plants and animals in the desert. They are survivors. They can thrive in what the rest of the world sees as adversity.

In light of the current political climate where anti-environment individuals and corporations have control of our government, I would suggest that the picture that opens this blog be a symbol of our determination to resist and survive. The tree in the foreground is Ironewood representing fortitude, survival and safe-haven. The mountains in the distance represent strength, resistance and longevity.

For those who love our disappearing natural areas and wilderness ... for those who know that our very survival depends upon how we treat Mother Earth ... I suggest that you post this picture someplace where you see it regular and put a caption on it "We will prevail".

Live in hope, dear friends.

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* NOTE. I say 'living' instead of 'camping' because we are full-timers who are always home with our 20 foot trailer named Nitsitapiisinni (Blackfeet for 'our way of life') never more than 18 feet behind us - the length of our Ram 1500 4x4. The young man in the tent, living out of a backpack, about 100+yards west of us is camping.