Resilient Rock Rose
Map
Map
Story & Experience
For the last 13 years, I’ve been walking my dog in ‘Las Viñas’, a protected natural area in the Sierra de Hoyo de Manzanares. It’s home to juniper trees, different species of oak, cork oaks, wild boars, the occasional deer and a rich diversity of birds.
I’m spending a lot of time up north and miss my daily walks there and I’ve been wondering does the land miss me? Has the land noticed that we no longer visit? I felt a strong need to express my gratitude by making an offering, and it seemed like a good site to hold our first Global Earth Exchange ritual.
Recently they bulldozed away the undergrowth made up principally of white rock rose, leaving an eerie, uncomfortable emptiness with no place to hide or shelter for many animals and a deep sadness and desolation within me and my friends. As we shared stories about our lived experiences in Las Viñas, there was a sense that Las Viñas was listening in, curious to hear what we had to say. Some of the stories were beautiful and inspiring, others were painful to tell.
We connected with the spirit of the rock rose as we created our gift of environmental art, including remnants of what had been strong, sturdy plants a few months before. As we discussed the beauty of her flowers and how hardy and resilient she is, I realized that I only fully appreciated her presence when she was there no more.
Rock rose is one of the first plants to sprout after a forest fire, so we know rock rose will be back soon, an example of resilience in troubled times.
For the last 13 years, I’ve been walking my dog in ‘Las Viñas’, a protected natural area in the Sierra de Hoyo de Manzanares. It’s home to juniper trees, different species of oak, cork oaks, wild boars, the occasional deer and a rich diversity of birds.
I’m spending a lot of time up north and miss my daily walks there and I’ve been wondering does the land miss me? Has the land noticed that we no longer visit? I felt a strong need to express my gratitude by making an offering, and it seemed like a good site to hold our first Global Earth Exchange ritual.
Recently they bulldozed away the undergrowth made up principally of white rock rose, leaving an eerie, uncomfortable emptiness with no place to hide or shelter for many animals and a deep sadness and desolation within me and my friends. As we shared stories about our lived experiences in Las Viñas, there was a sense that Las Viñas was listening in, curious to hear what we had to say. Some of the stories were beautiful and inspiring, others were painful to tell.
We connected with the spirit of the rock rose as we created our gift of environmental art, including remnants of what had been strong, sturdy plants a few months before. As we discussed the beauty of her flowers and how hardy and resilient she is, I realized that I only fully appreciated her presence when she was there no more.
Rock rose is one of the first plants to sprout after a forest fire, so we know rock rose will be back soon, an example of resilience in troubled times.
Why this Place?
Las Viñas, Hoyo de Manzanares
They recently bulldozed down the undergrowth of rock rose in this wood.
Act of Beauty
After telling stories about our lived experiences on the land, we spontaneously started to gather broken off branches of cork oak and place them together as if we were building a fire. We decorated this with little remnants from the rock rose plants. As we added a few yellow flowers we started to feel a sense of hope and joy, a feather added lightness. My dog trying to run off with sticks from the fire brought laughter.
At the end we felt that resilient rock rose was calling out to us ‘don’t worry, I’ll be back’, and we know she will. We left Las Viñas with a deep sense of fulfillment and connection to each other and to the land.
Additional Photos
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