A syilx friend has pointed out that every plant grows in relationship with another, and these relationships lead to antidotes and other companion uses.

So, rock, brittle prickly pear, and desert parsley are all one. That’s fascinating, because rock and cactus always go together here in the North of Cactus’s range, while desert parsley will sit in any boundary zone.

The common point is access to early, intense sun, whether it is collected by plants melting the snow to store it in their roots or stone concentrating it after the swampy lichen flows of late fall and late winter.

Another commonality is that these are environments rich in minerals. What the relationship between cactus and parsley are, that remains for me to discover. When the knowledge comes, I’ll pass it on. If you have any ideas, I’m eager to hear.