Cacti!

The desert is an extremely diverse ecosystem. Contrary to representation in popular media, the desert is not a barren expanse of dirt and sand. It is filled with numerous species of cacti and other plants. I was surprised to see cacti growing along roads in Phoenix and Tucson, and even more so when we went to the desert museum. I was not aware that so many different types of cacti existed, or that there were so many plants that can survive, and even thrive, in such an extreme climate. They survive by having relationships with other species. For example, the hummingbird pollinates the ocotillo, while the ocotillo flowers even when other plants are not. This gives the hummingbird a guaranteed source of pollen.  While the presence and beauty of these plants is incredible alone, their uses in the desert further illuminate them.

According to members of the Tohono O’Odham Nation, there are anywhere from 200 to 400 edible plants that grow wild in the Sonoran Desert. This is an extremely large number of plants to even grow in the desert, much less to be edible. Of the many plants we saw, I could not identify one that also grows wild in Virginia. It is astonishing to think that over time, this group discovered several hundred unique desert plants to sustain their life style. They learned from the cacti and other plants, and thrived in an environment most humans could not endure for even a short period of time.