The Desert is Green

March Monthly Challenge — Showing Some Green

Anne Bonfert has challenged Globetrotter writers to show some green this month. If you haven’t read about it yet, click on the article below.

I put this on the back burner, because I thought I would struggle to find much green in the midst of the desert. But I was wrong. Spring brings life to the desert, and green is found everywhere.

Driving down desert roads through the backcountry, we found cattle grazing in the yellow grass, but surrounded by green bushes. Also, check out that first photo of the elk in the yellow grass surrounded by green.

Sitting Bull Waterfall Recreation Area was dotted with several evergreen trees soaking up the water from deep underground.

Agave is a succulent plant with rosettes of narrow spiny leaves native to southern America. A traditional food of the Apache Indians, agave leaves were roasted in a pit for several days before eating.

I thought this pine tree was gorgeous against the deep blue sky. I am not sure, but I think it is a Ponderosa Pine. Seeing green improves any mood don’t you think?

I don’t know if Troy Larson has thought about doing this challenge or not, but his article about an abandoned bridge includes something green in every single photo he included. Check it out here.

We visited the Living Desert Zoo & Garden State Park in Carlsbad, NM. We found a lot of green in the reptile building. Yes, there was a green ratsnake in the cage, but he was mostly hidden. Since all of the signs were green, I decided to include this photo of the sign instead of the one of the snake.

I wrote about the green ratsnake being my least favorite green animal. You can read about that in the story below.

Oddly enough, I noticed that we have a lot of green in the RV. As we travel around the country, we live with the color green everyday, although in many different shades. I crocheted the blanket on the back of the couch with hunter green yarn. The pillows are more of a mint green.

As I was looking for the photo of the couch and pillows, I found the photo of the green martians we saw in Whites City. Roswell, NM is only 70 miles north of us and I think we will make a trip up there in a few days. Stay tuned for that one.

I have no idea what the plant is in the picture below, but we found it in the Chihuahuan Desert near water. Preconceived notion about the desert left me with the idea that there was not much green around, especially in the winter months. Maybe it is because of the lack of grass. Green is everywhere in the desert, all you have to do is look for it.

Have you ever been to the Seven Magic Mountains outside of Las Vegas? Me neither, but now that I have read Michele Maize’s article about these stacked painted rocks, I want to go. It is on the list. You can read her article here and check out the green rock on top of one of the towers.

We were driving through the desert yesterday and I really noticed all these green shrubs and small trees dotted along the brownish yellow hillside.

Isn’t there something beautiful about that hill?

This is about the extent of the green we have observed while living in the southern desert of the United States for the past 3 months. I look forward to going home and living in our daughter’s yard for the month of April. The picture below is her backyard and pond.

Thank you for reading about all the green I could find in the desert. I hope you enjoyed it. Please clap and comment if you did and let me know. I look forward to reading other submissions on finding green.