Resilience

“Resilience” Life isn’t easy in the desert. Flora that call the dunes of White Sands National Park home are forced to adapt through both form and function to survive. In an ever-changing landscape, plants contend with water scarcity, drastic changes in temperatures, and the ground below them constantly shifting. The soaptree yucca is the only species within White Sands that utilizes a strategy that would seem obvious for a plant, but is even more critical for life on dunes – growing tall. The lean stem extends to give the plant a height of up to 30 feet, allowing the clusters of leaves and flowers to sit above the sand. When the dunescape makes way with the wind, the stem will collapse to give new life, as smaller shoots take hold to begin their growth. Across this gem of a park, the odd patches of plants add to an already surreal setting. On an early afternoon hike, I was met with just the right conditions to showcase one of these miraculous figures, standing tall over the sea of gypsum crystals.