Four Views of the Desert Brittlebush

Desert Marigold, OrganPipe NM

Desert Brittlebush © 2012 Bo Mackison

I walked in the desert often these last days, preferably alone, and looked lovingly at my brittle-bush, my fine beds of desert holly, my border of paper daisies and desert marigolds. Here, tended by unseen hands, are plants equal to any in a botanical garden. They seemed to flourish for me alone, just as the birds seemed to sing for me alone. There was no one else to see them, just as there was no one else to hear the birds sing. 

~ Olga Wright Smith in Gold on the Desert

Desert Marigold II

Leaning towards the Sun © 2012 Bo Mackison

Brittlebush is one of the old standbys in the Sonoran Desert. It is drought resistant and blooms when there has been little rainy weather. But it is even more spectacular when Mother Nature sends rain. Brittlebush is common and easy to find wherever one looks in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. At the foot of an organ pipe or saguaro cactus, spreading upwards to add mounds of yellow color on mountain sides road sides and along the dry arroyas.

Ajo Mountain in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Ajo Mountain, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument © 2012 Bo Mackison

The brittlebush is now a popular plant even in the city, as its characteristics lend themselves well to the xeriscaped (natural) landscapes in the arid Southwest. But it looks might fine to me, adding splashes of yellow to the green desert.

It is used in rites and rituals throughout the region and was once was burned as incense in many churches across the border in Mexico. The substance exuded from the stems were used as a chewing gum, and at one time it was even exported to Europe, sent by the Spanish mission priests. The Tohono O’odham continue to use the brittlebush as a source of gum.

Saguaro and Organ Pipes

Saguaro and Organ Pipes Cacti © 2012 Bo Mackison

The brittlebush has an interesting defense system. It exudes a compound from its leaves and when these chemicals are washed onto the surrounding gravelly soil, it lessens other plants’ abilities to germinate. This gives the brittlebush less competition and more resources for survival.

Brittlebush has a long history of names since it was a common plant used by the Tohono O’odham, the Spanish priests, and the (mostly English) pioneers. Besides the common name of Brittlebush, it has been called Golden Hills, rama blanca (white branch), incienso (incense), hierba de las animas (herb of the souls), hierba del bazo (spleen-herb), and hierba ceniza (gray herb).

I rather like the name hierba de las animas. Has a mystical sound to it — these yellow flowers charged with the care of souls.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She photographed these flowers at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and there are still many more photographs of other desert flowers to share.

 

 

Ocotillo Birds?

Ocotillo Birds?

Ocotillo Birds? © 2012 Bo Mackison

Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy; pure creative energy.   ~ Julia Cameron

I watched this ocotillo for quite a while. Long enough that its long spindly branches quivered with the breezes. Every time the ocotillo shook, the red flowers at the very ends of the stalks reminded me of baby birds, their beaks open wide, begging for food from their Mama.

I laughed and laughed and laughed. Who knew the desert had such a honed sense of humor?

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She laughs with the desert, in the desert.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Bloom

Where are the Bloomin' Cacti?

Where are the Bloomin' Cacti? © 2012 Bo Mackison

It’s not often that one can’t see the many cacti in the Sonoran Desert because of blossoming flowers and shrubs.. But this spring one can truly say “Can’t see the cacti for the flowers.”

Park Rangers say that a rainy November and December, followed by a warmer than average January set up the National Monument for a potentially good Spring for desert blossoms. Then two days of soaking rain, each delivering 3/10ths of an inch of moisture, made the flowers pop!

The Palo Verde trees were turning yellow with flowers. The mesquite and brittlebush shrubs looked less like shrubs and more like yellow balls of blossoms. And the flowering plants — desert senna, desert marigolds, Mexican golden poppies, lupine, orange mallow, chuparosa, desert chicory — added shades of yellow, orange, purple and white to complete the transformation of the desert from cacti to layers of floral colors and greenery.

Sonoran Desert Dressed in Yellow

Desert, Dressed in Yellow © 2012 Bo Mackison

What a difference from the desert I fell for in 2011. Not knowing any better, I loved the Sonoran Desert a year ago, even though the desert had first experienced a plant-threatening frost in early February, then a prolonged drought throughout the spring and summer.

Last year, when I visited Organ Pipe for the first time, I asked the Park Rangers if there were any flowers in bloom. They looked at me as if I had just stepped off the bus from the far North. Well, they were close in their assessment. I had just driven to Arizona from the snow-bound Midwest, and I was enthralled with the desert blue skies and warm temperatures.

But no, they explained in particularly patient voices, there were no flowers in the desert right then. The desert was wearing mostly brown and drab green last year. The cacti maintained their greenish colors, but last year the desert scape was quite desolate. . . and brown. Except, I didn’t know just how desolate it was until I saw the Sonoran Desert a few days ago. I could barely contain my excitement with the lush growth, the bright colors, the layers upon layers of textures and life.

Well, truthfully, I didn’t contain my enthusiasm. Not one tiny bit. I was like a kid in a candy shop, going from bush to flower to tree with increasing joy. Everywhere I looked — flowers, flowers, and more flowers! It was almost beyond my understanding. I fell even more in love with this lush, vibrant  desert.

Wow!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She just returned from a visit to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and has more than 700 photos to sort through and process. Bo will be sharing photos of this gloriously blooming desert for quite a few blog posts..

Cactus Sprout

Cactus Sprout!

Cactus Sprout © 2012 Bo Mackison

Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.   ~ Herman Hesse

It has been a quiet weekend. There was time for retreat and quiet and there were other times I spent in research, setting some short term goals and a few long term goals, gathering resources.

I wanted to share this lovely cactus, all rosy in its new growth. These cacti appear to be such simple plants  – a long column, lots of thorny spines and a few arms. But upon close examination, I find them to be exquisitely intricate in a quiet way. I enjoyed photographing this particular species, it was a good plant to work with this weekend.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. More slow photography on an intentionally slowed-down weekend. Activity will pick up as the week progresses.

Hiking the Loop at Arivaca Cienega

Cienega Cootonwood

Cienega Cottonwood © 2012 Bo Mackison

I spent several hours hiking in the Arivaca Cienega in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Preserve in southern Arizona. To be honest it wasn’t as much hiking as walking on a lovely mix of boardwalk over the wetlands and smoothed trails on the drier parts of the trail.

Some of the beauties of this trail are: it is of a decent length – just over a mile; it heads into country one cannot see from any road; and it is accessible for everyone — the path can accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. There are a also at least a dozen welcoming benches along the trail, so there is always a nearby place for a “sit and ponder” if one isn’t watching the clock.

The cienega is prime habitat for birds (and other wildlife), especially during migrations, but I am not much of a birder. I saw quite a few species, but only recognized the woodpeckers and the sparrows.

Spring Fed Cienega

Spring Fed Cienega © 2012 Bo Mackison

The cienega, which is defined as a semi-desert grassland, has a spring fed riparian area. There are many cottonwoods, some aged giants, growing near the wetlands. When I examined the grasses, I was surprised to see grasses that were similar to the grasses in the prairies in Wisconsin, and I wonder how closely they were related. (Something to research some other time.)

I sat on the first bench I came upon.  I am working on adding a new habit to my daily walk and I am finding it more difficult than I imagined! I find a bench, the first bench I come to that is in a good location to get the feel of where I am. That’s the easier part. The harder part is that I try to sit on the bench and stay fully absorbed in the environment while using all my senses. The hardest part is that I try to sit there, mindfully, for a full fifteen minutes.

If it sounds easy, try it.

I am eager to see what is on the path ahead, and my mind wanders to the immediate future instead of staying in the present. The first time I tried my fifteen minute exercise, I checked the time after 5 minutes, certain that I had gone over my time. Not wanting to pull out my cell phone and check the time every five minutes, I’veve begun to bring a small office timer with me. It is small and unobtrusive. I can glance down and see how much of my quarter hour is left as it tells the time in a pie shaped wedge that slides closed slowly until it disappears. Then the time is over.

Arivaca Cienega

Small Pool at Arivaca Cienega © 2012 Bo Mackison

It was a cool, breezy afternoon by desert standards and when I closed my eyes, it was a wonderful sensory experience as I  concentrated on my sense of touch and hearing.  I first enjoyed the warming sun on my face. Then I listened to the rhythms of the wind.

The breeze would begin quietly, a mere rustle of the grasses, then build to a crescendo sounding much like a distant train rumbling through the preserve, and finally the rustling would calm until it was nearly silent again. Except for the chirping and chattering of the birds, this small oasis was quiet. No traffic noise. Only a few other visitors and they were all on different parts of the trail.

I am working on a photo project that explores the concept solitude and so I find the fifteen minute quiet time an invaluable asset to get me in the right mindset for photographing this subject.

*** I would be remiss if I did not mention that there is a park closure along the US/Mexican border. It is a small part of the park, and is suitably marked and patrolled by security. The order to close this area went into effect in 2006 and there have been no recent problems, to my knowledge. The closure notice can be found on Buenos Aires NWR site — it is a PDF, found on the bottom right of the page. It is recommended that visitors read the bulletin before exploring the more remote areas.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is doing a great deal of slow photography during her time in Arizona, including this slow photo shoot she did at the cienega. There are more photographs of Arivaca to post., but she is also slowly processing . . .