While
walking on a woodland trail (or possibly a desert trail), have you ever
encountered a solitary plant or flower that commands your attention? The plant appears to be thriving— possibly
blooming— despite its harsh surroundings.
So many plants require pampering (loose soil, rich in organic matter and
nutrients, frequent watering) while other plants seem to thrive with little
care in parched, gravely, compacted alkaline soil. Plants that tolerate infrequent rain and
harsh conditions could easily die if they were planted in rich organic soil and
pampered! Instead, they thrive on meager
provisions… little moisture, few nutrients, intense heat and compacted
soil.
These plants have tenacity!
Desert Chicory
(Rafinesquia neomexicana)
While in the sunflower family (Asteraceae)
desert chicory doesn’t remind me of a sunflower at all. With layers of delicate white petals, fringed
at each square tip, this delightful desert annual can grow to 20” tall.
(The specimen I encountered was only a few
inches tall, but its bloom was fresh and white against the rocky terrain.)
Mexican Goldpoppy (Eschscholtzia mexicana)
From the poppy family (Papaveraceae) a delicate 3” tall annual, this golden
poppy carpets the desert floor for a few days in early spring. Hot sun may dry its blooms quickly, but soon
seed pods form; seeds spread easily when rains arrive.
NOTE:
the California poppy shares the same genus and is named Eschscholtzia californica. Both plants have similar grey-green foliage,
but the California poppy stands 6”-8” tall, with petals of apricot/orange—not
yellow/gold. I have often grown
California poppies in my home garden in Southeastern Wisconsin; they thrive in
gravely soil, full sun.
Often a
plant will adapt to its harsh environment by developing “protective apparel”
for survival. Some plants develop a thick, waxy layer on
their leaves which seals against moisture loss and can be difficult for insects
to penetrate. Even cacti have spines
rather than leaves to reduce the amount of plant surface exposed to the sun’s
intense rays; those spines actually are a form of modified leaf tissue.
Each tenacious
plant I encounter on life’s journey makes me pause. If plants can endure an extremely harsh
environment and still be tenacious enough to bloom, then maybe we humans can
take a lesson from them. Throughout our
lives we might be touched by someone fighting cancer, arthritis, diabetes,
depression or a host of other diseases.
Doctors’ care, hospitals and medications can only resolve some of the
issues associated with these diseases; the patient also must develop tenacity to
accomplish a state of wellness.
Tenacity
might be learned from our plant friends in the natural world— they don’t give
up easily, despite a harsh environment!
M. Lynn
Schmid, Certified Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture
