Jonathan Cohen's photos

The chain fruit cholla is a shrubby cactus that looks as much like a tree in the desert as a cactus possibly can. It sprout many irregular spiny, segmented "branches" that droop from a central trunk. These "branches" are covered with a dense layer of sharp spines which in turn have a straw-colored sheath that turns gray as the plant matures. The sheath reflects sunlight and prevents overheating. As the cholla gets older the spines fall off and leave a rough and scaly bark on the trunk and old branches. It is the largest of the cholla, and can grow to a height of 15 feet, and be 6 feet across. The segmented branches have light-green leaves about ½ inch to 1 inch long when they are young. One inch long white and pink flowers streaked with lavender bloom from June to August. The flowers bloom at the end of the branches and on old fruit. The pear shaped fruit is about 1.5 inches long and half as wide. Clusters of these fruits sometimes stay attached for many years. New flowers will bloom on them every year and the chains grow longer with every year, sometimes as long as 2 feet. That is why they are called chain fruit cholla. The chain fruit cholla is also called jumping cholla because the segments break off easily when brushed up against and sticks to whatever brushed against it, giving the impression that the cactus jumped. The detached segment attach themselves to desert animals which disperses them for short distances. Accordingly, the ground around a cholla is usually covered with segments that have fallen off the parent. The fruit is not always fertile and the cholla relies mainly on fallen stem joints and fruit to take root and grow new plants. The chain fruit cholla is commonly found in dry, sandy soils of bajadas, valleys floors, and plains of the Sonoran and Chihuahua Desert, south Arizona and northwest Mexico. It is found at elevations up to 4,000 feet above sea level. During droughts animals like the Bighorn Sheep rely on the juicy fruit for food and water. Large forests of chain fruit cholla grow in Arizona. Because it grows in inaccessible and hostile places, it is not vulnerable to habitat loss and is therefore not endangered.

According to some people, a "vortex" is a special spot on the earth where energy is either entering into the earth or projecting out of the earth’s plane. Such people claim that such sacred sites throughout the world as the Great Pyramid in Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, Bali, Stonehenge, Ayers Rock in Australia are "vortexes" (not "vortices" as Latin grammar would seem to demand). It is believed that vortex energy moves in a spiral, moving up or down. Some say Sedona’s vortex energy is so powerful that you can actually feel it and that it is powerful enough to help people take giant leaps with their spiritual development. Although all of Sedona is considered to be a vortex, there are special spots that have been identified where the energy is more intense and where you are more likely to actually feel the energy. These vortexes have been further categorized into "feminine" (energy entering the earth) and "masculine" (energy coming out of the earth). Cathedral Rock and the Chapel of the Holy Cross have been identified as feminine; Airport Mesa and Bell Rock as masculine. Boynton Canyon combines both. As you go to these places, you will very likely see people doing meditation, yoga or energy clearings with experienced practitioners taking advantage of what they consider to be the special healing qualities of Sedona’s vortex energy.