Walking out among them you might feel as though you are surrounded by people-Saguaro people. This mute display of life in this cacophonous world of humdrum and vanity teaches us several important lessons of life.
Lesson 1: Accommodate to the environment
In our modern life we are always very eager to come up with the laundry list of inconvenience in our daily life. We are impatient, we prefer quitting than adapting. On the other hand these desert giants perfected themselves in the hostile environments. The roots of a saguaro grow out from the plant in a radial fashion, several inches under the ground. During a heavy rain, a saguaro will absorb as much water as its root system allows. To accommodate this potentially large influx of water, the pleats expand like an accordion. Conversely, when the desert is dry, the saguaro uses its stored water and the pleats contract. Because the majority of a saguaro is made up of water, an adult plant may weigh 6 tons or more. This tremendous weight is supported by a circular skeleton of inter-connected, woody ribs. The number of ribs inside the plant correspond to the number of pleats on the outside of the plant. As the saguaro grows, the ribs will occasionally fork and the corresponding pleat will also fork at the same place.
Lesson 2: Practice austerity
Modern consumer society seek their spiritual satisfaction and their ego satisfaction in consumption. "We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced and discarded at an ever-increasing rate" (Victor Lebow). We teach ourselves that enrichment of life comes through more spending. While these sage way of living reminds us the need of wise spending.Lesson 3: Live and let live
In our everyday world where we find myriad new excuses to end our own life with others, these desert plants celebrate the gift of life in one of the worst possible conditions of low humidity, scorching heat and massive temperature difference in day and night. Not only they live their life for long years (up to 100-150 years) but also they extend their helping hand to others. Gila woodpeckers and miniature elf owls make their homes inside the Saguaro`s trunk. Long-nosed bats and fluttering doves drink the nectar from its snowy white flowers. People also play a role in the Saguaro`s story: each year Tohono O`odham Indians gather its sweet fruit in a centuries -old harvest festival. In drier areas of the Sonoran Desert, pack rats, jackrabbits, mule deer and bighorn sheep eat the saguaro’s flesh when other water sources are not available. Welcome to Saguaro Hotel.Photos taken from Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix
Information obtained from www.nps.gov
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