Doctor Bird
The saguaros are an iconic symbol of the American West, meet the forensic scientist saving their bones.
Saguaro cacti have become one of the most iconic symbols of the American West. They are remarkable because they are found in only one place on the planet, the Northern Sonoran Desert, spanning Central and Southern Arizona. Saguaros are masterful at regulating heat during the hot summer months and they can recover quickly as the temperatures in the desert drop substantially at night, creating the condensation that they need to survive.
Most of us think of the desert landscape as rugged and resilient , full of plants and cacti that have evolved to withstand some of the most extreme weather conditions. As the cities in Arizona are growing and more heat is being collected in the concrete sprawl, the evening temperatures are not fluctuating as they would naturally and coupled with the lack of life-sustaining monsoons the saguaros are beginning to respond by dropping arms and sometimes even blowing over and falling down. Last summer, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, began the Saguaro Census Project which involves the community in tracking the location and health of saguaro cactuses in the city. A deeper understanding of the heat-stress on these protected figures may help save the ones that still grow naturally in the wild.
Meet Cate Bird, born and raised in Arizona, a forensic scientist and collector of fallen saguaros. “My back yard is filled with them, all in different stages of decay. When a saguaro falls in my neighborhood landscapers that would otherwise bring them to the landfill, bring them to me instead.” Cate has a natural inclination to meticulously dissect the bodies of these fallen cacti, labeling them and noting where they came from, how old they were, even giving them names. “ I find them beautiful and they all have a story.”
Cate ethically sources fallen saguaros and meticulously processes their wood
When Cate was a little girl she remembers hiking with her grandfather and finding saguaro boots (the hard internal shells created by the cactus to protect them from the wounds left behind by birds making their nests). "These were treasures, we were always so excited to find them.” Now in her forties, Cate has an interesting hobby that inspires her and she sees it as a way of giving back to this place where she was born.
The saguaros in Arizona are protected and it’s illegal to cut them down or remove them without a permit, or even to take dead saguaro wood unless it’s located on private property. Saguaro wood is fragile when it’s been baked in the hot desert sun and it’s hard to preserve the pieces and keep them intact, they often splinter and crack. Cate’s method takes months, meticulously processing the cacti by hand to deflesh, clean and preserve the bones of the saguaro which makes her pieces soft and unique.
We have a small collection of these treasures at PITH from her project she calls Doctor Bird, a perfect addition to our desert collection. Cate would like to donate 10% of all sales to the Natural Restorations Replanting Program and in Arizona, they work to replant saguaros and other cacti in their native habits, we would like to match that. Come by and see these special saguaro boots and structural wood pieces thoughtfully prepared for you through science and nature.
In search of light
Light boxes designed by PITH for Opuntia Cafe to simulate windows, photograph of branches by Janet Russek
Ideas for dim rooms
Science has proven the effects of natural light on our overall sense of well being. Experiencing light changing throughout the day helps with your body’s circadian rhythm, your internal process that helps you sleep at night and wake in the morning. Shadows of moving branches projected on the walls can heighten long term focus. Our ancestors were outdoors most of their lives and we are not designed well to exist in these still, artificially lit boxes. So what do you do if you’re working in an office with one tiny window or living in a building with other structures blocking the sunshine?
I want to share a few ideas with you
If you are lucky enough to have one window the best way to have another window is placing a mirror directly across from it. This could be anything from a framed mirror that hangs on the wall to a floor mirror that leans. It’s a great way to double the natural light in a room and it works great for your plants that are asking for more light.
Painting the walls lighter colors can bounce natural light and make the room seem brighter, darker colors absorb light. This certainly does not mean that all rooms should be sterile-white but rather choose colors that mimic the sky. The blush tones of the morning light or the warm grey of clouds rolling in before the rain.
Think about the artificial lighting that you have in a room, is it full spectrum or warm? Cool? Our bodies are very sensitive to the light and we release chemicals that tell our brain to wake up in the bluish-light or slow down in warmer, amber-light. This is a part of the natural circadian rhythms we have developed inherently but they get thrown off by the blue tones of screen time and modern day task lighting. Bulbs have recently been developed to simulate the changes in natural light throughout the day, these help with the tapering of melatonin in the morning and the build up of this sleep hormone at night; research TUO bulbs for more information. Or more simply, use full-spectrum lighting during the daytime and move to floor and table lamps with warmer lightbulbs at night.
Emphasize shadows with the use of low spotlights. It just takes one lowlight plant and one spotlight on the floor to create a gorgeous stretched shadow on the wall behind it. When outdoors we have dramatic shadows and reflections all around us, it can make the indoors seem really flat. Speaking of plants, you may want to research grow lights to help your green friend be healthier. Our favorite, Mother.life lights are simple and can be used vertically as a floor lamp, they make a very big difference for the growth of plants in a darker room.
If you find yourself in a space with absolutely no windows, (so sorry) a large landscape painting or photograph can go a very long way! Even adding your favorite landscape to your screen saver on the ever-present computer, just as a place to briefly escape to in your mind. The natural colors, the reflection of water, the reminder of sky is so good for the soul.
Biophilia
consciously or subconsciously we are all craving nature
Photo by Kate Russell
Anyone that has ever noticed a gentle breeze on their skin or stared into a fire until their thoughts disappeared or had a long pause in the changing colors of the sky, already understands biophilia. In our deepest levels of DNA we all understand, because our ancestors were formed within it. Biophilia is our innate love and connection to the natural world. In other words, consciously or subconsciously we are all craving nature in our lives. Science has proven that applying biophilia to the spaces we live and work in improves health and happiness but also teaches the next generation to treat nature with reverence.
Try this on for me, what is the first thing you touch when you wake up in the morning? What is the second? Unfortunately, studies have shown that it’s our phones (Im not here to scold you). If that is true and not changing anytime soon then what image is on your screensaver? Maybe next it’s the sheets on which you sleep, are they made of something that once had roots or are they bleached white and derived from plastic bottles? They are covering you for hours every night. What color are they? Most likely , It’s the first color you see every single day. Is this interesting to you? This is applying biophilia to your personal choices , keep reading.
Now think about the space in which you live and the one you work within. Do they have movement or are they completely still? Do you see natural shapes around you or do you see corners and the common right angles of modern construction? Would you discover shadows on the wall and do they move with the light throughout the day or do you have the ever-even brightness of task lighting? Do you have plants, pets or things to watch change and grow? Do you have access to a window, does it open? These are all questions of biophilic design when applied to spaces.
It was my passion for botany and landscape design that brought me to studying biophilic design. I had a chance to study others homes and offices and I realized that our indoor and our outdoor spaces are often disconnected. I have spent copious hours thinking about outdoor irrigation and how to mitigate the heat of the generous New Mexican sun so I could design gardens for people to linger in. It occurred to me that indoors is temperature controlled, sheltered from excessive light and quite honestly where we spend most of our time. I began thinking about how to make these indoor/outdoor spaces connect and in my questions I discovered a book called “Biophilia” by biologist and naturalist, Edward O Wilson. I have been on a new journey of design ever since.
Studies have shown that connections with nature and natural patterns lower stress and improve overall health and wellbeing. We are living in a time ripe with anxiety, attention deficit disorders, lack of sleep and good health. I believe that our design choices along with cultivating plants and growing our general understanding of the wild spaces in which we have evolved from can improve the quality of our lives. I want to dive into these ideas with you.
Pith Plant Studio was created to host conversations and projects around biophilia. I do custom installations in homes and businesses that focus on our innate need for beauty and nature. On Saturdays, Pith is a plant retail store so that we can meet new faces and support you in your plant knowledge and grow good design choices.
Please feel free to reach out to us with your questions and ideas, Pith would like to be a part of your thoughtful decisions for a healthier way of living. On Saturdays please wander in, we are open 10-5. Sign up for our mailing list for lectures and classes on biophilic design or follow us on Instagram @pith_plantstudio.