Lessons from the Desert
Published by DanM August 13th, 2007 in Southern Utah Wildlife and Nature, Southern Utah Talking Points and Questions, Southern Utah Places.I really didn’t know much about the desert before I moved into a home surrounded by blackbrush in the middle of Color Country. It’s been a revelation!
I was surprised by how much I didn’t know because I grew up in a southern Utah town surrounded by desert and spent a lot of time on the desert as a kid. For example, did you know that ants go to bed at night? I didn’t, until I started walking past their home every morning before the sun comes up.
These days, I spend a lot of time looking at blackbrush … and the things that live in it. I’m learning a lot that I didn’t know before. If you think about it, you can apply some of the lessons to life in general.
The world is a dangerous place. Be cautious.
Creatures in the desert check all check carefully before they do anything. A chipmunk will sit on a rock for several minutes and scope things out before making a dash to the next rock. And he’s wise to do that. There are rattlesnakes in the bushes. There are hawks in the trees.
Don’t be where you don’t belong.
The chipmunks buried a lot of corn in little holes all over the place. The monsoon arrived a few weeks ago. Since everything was nice and wet for a few days, all the corn sprouted. It’s all drying up again now. The desert is harsh place. Not one of those corn plants is going to live.
And sometimes there’s life and beauty where you least expect it.
How about a emerald green shield bug big enough to be a piece of jewelry? How about a storm cloud boiling down the side of the West Temple with a sound like a train coming? How about a coral red and dark indigo blue snake? How about a field of cactus with flowers the color of ripe peaches?
Well, whatd’ya know. This is wonderful, Dan! I always enjoy hearing about the things going on in the immediate vicinity around your house. This definitely IS a different life you’re leading now (from living in Salt Lake City) and you are a careful and observant observer of life around you (insects, birds, snakes, cats), so I look forward to reading this. How do people learn about a site like this anyway? I love you! (your big sister)
I had to look up blackbush. I visited our area very briefly as my parental units drove thru all those yrs ago (60’s). To tell the truth plants were NOT what i was interested in at that time. Go wonder, eh? A teenage girl, cooped up in a car with 3 brothers for 3 wks. I was like … will there be a pool where we stay tonight?…. Wonder if there’ll be any guys? My older brother was the same, ‘cept he wondered about the girls!! hahaha
I liked your observations … The chipmunks in our yard look for my cat … then tease her cause she’s scared of them! The squirrels at my lasst house ejoyed doing the same thing!!!
Two days ago I thought I saw the little baby bunnie whose been eating my flower seedlings so I ventured out to the back of the yard … where I saw one after another young hawks leave the old Oak tree. There were a total of 4!!! As I started back to the house, they began playing & calling to each other. What a wonderfull screetch! Amazing, seeing as I live in a community, not anywhere near the wilds! My Mom is enjoying the new birds that are comming by. And here she’s the one who didn’t want me to bring my plants & gardens with me.
The corn popping up after the rain is cool. My best “plantings” have been the ones that come about from nature. Birds leaving deposits that have seeds from a Nieghbors prized plant that they won’t share … Flowers popping their seed pods many feet from MaMa … Frogs who came by to test the new waters & decided to stay. Leave them all where they land & you aquire the most beautiful & unexpected plantings. Who but the birds would have planted a cool weather pansy in the “hot, dry, gravel around the fountain? Nature is the greatest!
Don’t be where you don’t belong. …. I think I like this the best.
Great blogs! Thanks for reminding me of such uplifting times I’ve managed to have.
Ellie (from the Detroit ‘burbs’ in MI)