Out Arizona Way

[ezdays]

Desert Beauty,
(a bit more upbeat, really.... )

The first thing many people think about when hearing the word, “desert,” are rolling hills of just sand, kind of like the Gobi Desert. Well, there is such a desert nearby, but it’s not in Arizona. It’s in Southern California, just a few miles west of Yuma, Arizona. This is a place where many desert movies are filmed. If you see any greenery there, it’s all movie magic or as a prop on a movie back lot. Indeed, there is nothing but sand where we call “the dunes.” Many ride their sand buggies (we call them “Dune Buggies”) there, frequently camping out in their RV’s. To be sure, some even have live-in trailers with garages to house their play toys. Another concept of the desert is what we see in our western movies, not much sand, but lots of cactus and tumbleweeds with no shade for miles around. That may be closer to reality, but that scene changes depending on the weather. Yes, the weather has a profound influence on the appearance of our desert.

Let me explain. Probably the most beautiful and active time in the desert is the days after a rain. Things that were bleak looking and devoid of life before the rain came, suddenly sprout leaves or somehow magically turn alive overnight. The desert becomes a sea of color and life. I say “life” because there are creatures that basically hibernate when it’s dry and come to life when there’s water, such as the lowly frog. We have frogs that burrow into the sand and change their metabolism such that if you were to dig one up, they show no signs of life. These creatures have situated themselves in an area that would naturally collect a pool of water, so when the rains do come, they're ready. Within minutes, they come to life and do what frogs do. They hang around as long as there’s water, perhaps just a few hours or days. Frogs aren’t the only things that spring to life after a rain; many desert plants do as well. Some cacti will suck up their fill of water during a rain storm, and sustain themselves until the next one, cutting back on growth when needed. The ocotillo is a tall spiny-like plant that spends much of its life dormant. A few days after a rain, the spines are green with small leaves from the base to the top, and at the very top of each spine will be a vivid red bloom. Take away the water and the ocotillo soon looks like a dried-out bunch of sticks. We have a tree in our front yard that I was sure was a goner, until the recent rain. Here it is October, and it's sprouting leaves like it was early spring.

We're blessed every spring with wildflowers, the more rain we get in the winter, the more prolific the wildflowers are. When we lived in Wickenburg, the we had a large wash on the back of our property that would run like a river whenever there was heavy rain in the desert. Sometime around March, the banks and beyond would turn yellow with Mexican poppies. There are many other types and colors of wildflowers, and lots of places to see them, just don't pick any because they are protected by law, just as all our cacti are.

Don't get me wrong, I love the beauty of those grassy, wooded and hilly areas that I see in other states, but if one is patient, there's plenty of beauty in what some might think is a barren desert.