I was reminded this morning that it’s still February; much cooler than it has been. But the sun swiftly warmed things and I was off for a three-mile walk. The more I pay attention, the more I see, not surprisingly. I noticed that organ pipes seem to prefer slopes to the plain where I walked, presumably for the better drainage. Saguaro is happy anywhere while chollas like the plain. Species preferences for particular soils, drainage, moisture, sunlight, and so forth make perfect sense and can easily be ascribed to their individual natures, the ways they are built, the conditions evolution shaped them for. Not that it matters in my respect for them and what they bring to this part of the world, but plant relations with one another and their environment show a kind of sentience that fascinates me. If sentience, consciousness, intelligence, and such are looked at as relational and problem-solving activities rather than only possible within neurological substrates, there may be much more to the world than we recognize. It’s good to let loose the imagination as long as it doesn’t completely slip its moorings.
#desert #saguaro #organpipe #chollas #sentience #consciousness #intelligence
Photos – Public Domain, National Park Service
Teddy Bear Cholla with Bloom
