Rockhound State Park Nature Garden

Around 6 or 7 PM most nights, the boys and I would walk the path in the Nature Garden at Rockhound St. Park. because of the sharp angle of the sun the landscape change depending on the direction it was viewed from. Faced from the west it looked like this.

Faced from the north the shadows were more interesting.

Faced toward the west it was magical.

The sun's rays back lite these small, common weeds and made them beautiful and mysterious beyond words.

The Nature Garden has changed for the better since it was built by “Mary of the Rocks” several years ago. The tacky but sincere little shrines she built have all almost been swallowed by the desert. The few that remain are graciously faded. The cacti she transplanted, and all of the other desert plants she moved to this concentrated site are no longer struggling to survive bordered with homemade wind brakes. They ones that have survived are full, vibrant and thriving. The rocks she carried by hand from other parts of the park to border the meandering paths she constructed are now soft and natural looking. Because of the growth of the plants one can no longer see the layout of the entire garden, but is constantly and pleasantly surprised as they follow the paths. It has become a magical place both because of and in spite of her. I have been told that she has died a year or two ago. There is no sign posted telling of the gardens origins, few remember her, or her efforts, yet with just a little bit of maintenance her work will live on to enchant so many others. If not maintained her work will be swallowed by the desert in a couple of years, just like her memory.