Cardon: The great defender xerophytic forest

CARDON

Archer with your face of sand
and flesh of rain.
Cactus hunter of stars.
Stalking warrior of the yerbazales,
hills.
Indigenous stealth.
threatening displays,
between the desert warmth
and the hope of a yearning greenery
your dry arrows
fueled by the horizons.
Static nevertheless, in the ecstasy
in the splendor of the sky, the light,
of the night.

Lubi Cardozo, Venezuelan poet


Like the medieval Templar Knights that were formed to defend the pilgrims, or the bands of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest who boldy protected their rights to their territory, or the indigenous motilones of Onoto on the shores of the Caribbean , who with their swift arrows were able to reduce the Spanish invaders in South America, the noble Cardon, armed only with spiny thorns, courageously and silently protects the xerophilous forests of the planet.

The xerophilous forest or xerophytic, meaning the plant formations and associated vegetations that have adapted to life in a dry environment. Within this species the endemic flora and fauna, are able to survive the harsh desert conditions. Also, most of the plants are succulents, meaning they can store water. Others have seeds which lie dormant until rainwaters awaken them. In spite of all this, these plants find a way to get water and protection from the heat.

Within these desert forests, the most famous plant is the cactus, and the Cardon cactus is the best known. A common Cardon reaches a mature height of 5 to 10 meters, and can reach as high as 18 meters. Since it is a plant of slow growth, its average life is measured in hundreds of years, and this eliminates the need for a high rate of replacement by new generations.

Other succulent plants are the rose of the desert and the living rock. This last plant looks like a rock with spikes. This disguise protects it from predators. Like the many desert animals such as birds, snakes and rodents, whose populations are consistently low since they only reproduce after the winter rains, when the growth of vegetation ensures their sustainablity.

Since they drink almost no water, they have developed "techniques" to obtain the proper metabolism of foods, such as starches, which are metabolized to produce carbon dioxide and water, allowing them to live without drinking long periods of drought.

The truth is that the cactus instills much respect in large herbivorous animals like humans, who are careful not to enter their territories, because of possible injuries that could occur through brushing against their huge thorns or "dry arrows" as defined by the poet Lubi Cardozo, they will "almost deliberately" come out of their way to defend the xerophytic forests.

The Cardon tenaciously defends against predators and at the same time, protects its natural, beautiful dry forest. More than a metaphor, the planet needs to have armies of cacti in each of its territories, if it is to stop and keep at bay the over consumption , and in the name of sustainable development, our depletion of our natural resources.

By Lenin Cardozo / Edith Regier