GrowIng Roses in the Clouds - A Safe Haven (revised and completed May 31)

 

Clouds clustering over the Sandia Mountains (in the distance), Albuquerque, May 19 - cellphone photo - 2025, DS.

"A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is generally a tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level, formally described in the International Cloud Atlas (2017) as silvagenitus ('created from forest')."

- A misty, moisty, mossy forest is the stuff of European folklore and fairy tales... bringing to mind a spooky sort of magic. The true cloud forests (via Wiki) - generally found on cloud-covered mountaintops -  are mostly a phenomenon of tropical climates but they can also be found in temperate zones. The Appalachian mountains are a stunning example. But, can they exist in the American southwest?

Large cluster over the Sandia Mountains, Albuquerque, May 26 - cellphone photo 2025, DS.

Probably not. But, I can dream... and I can wonder about the frequent cloud clusters that seem to stretch over the Sandia mountains, regardless of the weather. The photos above was taken during a bright respite after 2 days of rain but the Sandia cloud phenomenon was the first thing I noticed upon visiting New Mexico and it continued to amaze me all through my peak travelling days.

As for the cloudscapes - or cloud terrains - on top of the Sandia mountains, see the collection of photos linked to from this page, and see if you can find evidence of one. (There is!)

Large cluster over the Sandia Mountains, Albuquerque, May 26 - cellphone photo 2025, DS.

"Monteverde has unquestionably become one of Costa Rica's most popular draws, making it a must-do for 70,000 tourists each year. Its popularity is largely due to its many protected reserves, including the star of the show: the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. Listed in National Geographic and Newsweek as one of the top cloud forest reserves in the world, the government even deemed it one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Costa Rica.

...Interestingly, its origins can be traced to Quakers who settled in the area in the 1950s. After fleeing the US to avoid the Korean War draft, the cool climate of Monteverde allowed them to set up dairy farms in the region."

- Via the article: Ultimate Guide to Monteverde: Costa Rica's Lost World. The photo of a suspension bridge inset left was found in the Wiki entry for the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. Suffice to say, the world's cloud forests are allegedly vanishing... however, dreams of cloud cities begin to arise.

"Roses – native or naturalized wild roses, old roses (dating prior to the development of hybrid tea roses in 1867), and modern cultivars grow well in New Mexico. Perhaps you’ve admired them blooming in summer, in filtered light along mountain trails and in canyons, on abandoned homesteads or historic sites, and along irrigation ditches and streams, as well as in urban gardens."

- Excerpt from an illuminating article from the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. According to the article there are five species of wild roses native to New Mexico! The photo (Credit: Paul Rothrock) inset left is of an Asian, naturalized variety: Rosa multiflora. Allegedly, this beauty is considered an invasive species, but, in my estimation, if roses were invasive we would all live in paradise.

(Continued below the jump...)

An idyllic day in May, Albuquerque - cellphone photo - 2025, DS.

Sorry to say, but it's been many days since I first began assembling this post. I apologize for the delay. The reality is I literally could not get my head out of the clouds! And, why is this? Well, why bother to when I just happen to have the best seat in the house to watch (and photograph) a procession of fantastically-shaped clouds drifting continuously along my line of vision? It costs nothing apart from a little time... and it's a proven source of childlike enchantment.

It wasn't till after the post was published, however, that I began to understand my chosen safe haven ... that incorporeal mental construct one can retreat to during times of unrelenting stress, distraction, discomfort or fear. I think we all have places like that and we should celebrate them. They are our blows against the official narratives we share and the toxic empires in which we reside... those that assault us like the nonstop shrieking of alarms.

My safe haven narrative began as a silent world beneath the clouds at the top of a mountain. I was in search of a small shrub - a wild rose - which lived hidden in the underbrush amidst shadows cast by a rocky terrain. This rose was red and gold and had the most heavenly fragrance... a scent which could revive a weary mind and quiet a distraught one.

But, was that it? There seemed to be some element missing from my safe haven vignette and narrative. I found myself developing a severe case of writer's block.

It was then that a bit of serendipity entered the picture. Yesterday morning I received an 

unexpected email in my inbox from an unfamiliar source. It featured a video starring two tiny creatures within the hollowed out center of a large old world rose... yellow and red. (See screen capture inset right)

Regardless of whether the video is real or AI generated - it is found on several internet platforms - it is perfect. A child's dream. My thanks go out to it's creator and it's messengers. More power to those who bring sweetness to the world.

***

Recently found: a treat for rose-lovers everywhere. Below is a video from the YouTube Channel HT Garden which presents some amazing ways to root rose cuttings. If you've tried and failed to root rose cuttings in the past you'll understand why successfully rooting them in rice, eggs, coffee, tomatoes, carrots, onions, or - as is the case in the video below - potatoes, is such a thrilling proposition! :-)

"Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." - Romans 13:10.