By Michelle Miner

The desert is filled with skeletons.

It’s not just the remains of animals, but the inner artistry of plants too. As we humans know all too well, water means life, and water means weight. Life is especially heavy for the saguaro who can carry over a thousand gallons of liquid. But this weight isn’t a burden, it’s a boon. A saguaro skeleton supports a long, creative lifespan of up to about 200 years. Its strong, woody ribs are scaffolding for collaboration, innovation, and generosity.

The desert is filled with support.

In life, a saguaro is the architecture of a watery womb for the nests of birds, and for the aerial buffet of fragrant white flowers and juicy red fruits to fuel bats and all manner of helpful pollinators and seed spreaders. Even creatures without wings will occasionally find themselves in the heights—like a scaly snake slithering up to enjoy an egg breakfast, or a furry feline fleeing to escape a hungry predator. 

The desert is filled with soup.

In death, a saguaro is a matrix of home and hunting ground. As a saguaro body decays, it transforms into an almost aquatic abode where beetles and bugs will live, feast, and be feasted upon. This mushy microhabitat can turn especially soupy with rainwater in the recipe.  After flesh fades away, a skeleton long remains. Woody bones, now exposed, offer shelter once again as a place for scaley, squishy, crunchy, and fuzzy friends to find refuge and sustenance. 

The desert is filled with cycles.

The saguaro shows us that just as life begets life, death begets life, too. For thousands of years, the Indigenous people of these lands have used the ribs of one saguaro to reach the fruits of another—and, in mirroring the cactus’ collaborative nature, give fruit back to the plants and soil while making sure to leave enough for our wild animal family. Perhaps as we admire these generous green beings standing tall with the weight they carry, and consider the legacy they each will leave, we can be inspired to reflect a little deeper on what we give and receive in a world of meaningful cycles of hardship and ease.