Having spent most of my adult life on the East Coast, the lush green scenery seems normal. Since Wednesday, the green has been very different—tiny, thick leaves on Palo Verde trees with green trunks; cacti in every shape and size, with beards and without; towering palms in a bright blue sky. 
I love the vegetation; it seems to be already designed for global warming that came to the Sonoran desert ages ago. When I saw an ad for the desert botanical garden in Phoenix, I had to see it. It was worth the search. It’s not hard to fine, but I had to pay attention to the road and was distracted by one of the mountains that grow in the middle of the city of Phoenix. So I missed the turnoff. Still worth it.
There are cactuses that look like snakes, winding flat on the ground.
Others send up spikes to make sure their seeds scatter far, to give them a better chance at reproduction.
Still others have long, blond spikes that give them an otherworldly look when backlit.
It’s a remarkable place, handily adapted to the worst conditions. We might want to take a closer look to see how we can adapt.
–Quinn McDonald is a certified creativity coach now living in Tempe. See her work at QuinnCreative.com (c) All rights reserved. 2007.
