Self-Defense in the Desert

Yesterday, Mr. Ray Bowers of the Las Cruces Chapter of the New Mexico Native Plant Society spoke to us about the different ways plants defend themselves in the desert. He showed us spiney plants, smelly plants, and furry plants. He also taught us that mesquite beans are edible and that the Spaniards' cows helped to plant and fertilize the mesquites that grow along the Camino Real! We also smelled chocolate flowers and learned why many call the yucca gloriosa the Spanish daggar... Ouch!