Today I bummed a ride with Beau and his "little brother" who were headed to South Mountain Recreation Park to go hiking. We walked down the road together until we reached their trail head. They took to Alta Trail, I went the opposite direction and headed down Bajada (or something like that) Trail. I had 3 hours to myself to convene with the desert and attempt to collect some flower and cactus essences. At the beginning of the trail I noticed two plants that stood out to me among all the rest. Partly because they were bright in color and partly because there was a flurry of Bee activity around them. I took a few photos and decided, along my hike, that I would be sure to collect from at least these two plants once I found a good spot that had both.
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| Such a long, lonely road... |
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| I don't know what this is all about... |
It took me a while to get myself in the "here and now" mindset as my head was rattling off all the things I needed to get done in the day: laundry, dishes, eat, man I'm hungry, I should have eaten breakfast before we left, homework, work work, I wonder what Izzie is doing, we need to get some boots for her feet so we can take her on long walks, what was that noise?
*Focus!!!!!*
Like I said, it took some time. BUT eventually I let it all go and began to focus on the task at hand. I walked up and down the trail with an open mind and an open heart, looking for what plants spoke to me most. I came around a bend and noticed a beautiful Saguaro cactus. Setting out on this mission this morning, I was determined to collect some cactus essences because, not too long from now, I would no longer have access to their amazing healing and uplifting qualities. This Saguaro, or one of his brothers, was on my list. I then realized... how the heck am I could to get this giant cactus into my little mason jar that is half filled (or half empty) of water?? I took more photos and walked around some more to check out the area. I found two other cactus that I was really drawn to and photographed them as well. Then I set out to collecting the essences.
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| A fallen Saguaro. The end of an era. So beautiful. |
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| A different angle of the fallen Saguaro. |
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| Buddies. |
Starting with the Buckhorn Cholla, I sat down and talked with it for a minute. I explained what my purpose and intent was and asked if the Cholla would be willing to help. I received my "yes" (trust me, I know what a "No" feels like... and I listen intently to those!) and lifted a piece of the Cholla into the glass and let it rest in the water.
It is in best practice, when collecting anything from plants, to try not to pick or sever the plant. A live plant is always better than a dead one.
I took some notes and sat with the Cholla for a little while. Once I had felt I had gathered all the information I needed or could, I moved on to the next plant, leaving the mason jar with the Cholla to charge in the sun.
I continued doing this with all 5 plants - 3 cactus, 1 tree, and 1 bush. I took lots of pictures of the area and of the plants and enjoyed listening to the bees busying themselves in the pollen. I used to be terrified of bees... until I began to understand how important they are to our ecosystem. Incredible, incredible little species that the world relies on. Amazing creatures.
Here are some photos of my morning:
I have so so many photos of this trip, so I am going to split them up by plant in a few more blog posts to follow. In the mean time, some matronly advice - when venturing out into the desert, remember to bring LOTS of water, have a phone on you, hiking shoes, and a nice shade hat!
Happy Essence Harvesting!
~ Birdie
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| My haul for the day. 5 wonderful essences! |
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