March 12 - the most most most most important day of the year for Ant Forest: Tree Planting Day!
Our brain: (tree tree tree tree tree tree tree tree tree tree.. trees)
Introducing the star of this year’s Arbor Day:
the Haloxylon Ammodendron (a.k.a. the Saxaul)
The “plant cover king”, known to us as “the plant that can shape history”
Also, many Ant Forest tree growers’ first baby.
17,900g.
That’s how much virtual energy it takes to plant one.
Ever wonder why?
Saxaul: Saviour of the Wastes.
The North-western barons of China.
They’re dry, blistering and windy, with poor soil.
Only a handful of shrubs make their home here: the Saxaul, date trees, the bobr.
Where other plants cease to exist, you will still find the rugged Saxaul scraping by. So how does the little fella do it?
Wind and sand activity in the desert is fierce. Generally, plants try to take shelter, growing out of the wind behind hills or in the valleys between hills.
Our Saxauls, however, are equipped to withstand wind.
Equipped with what?
Roots.
Each Saxaul has a strong root system that locks 10 square meters of loose sand into place.
The Alxa League in Inner Mongolia – Ant Forest No.5’s Saxauls.
The Alxa SEE Fund is responsible for this forest.
If plants were waging a war on the wind, Saxauls would be on the front lines, holding the flags, throwing nets onto the surging waves of wind and sand while the little bugs and critters shelter at their feet.
Saxaul: Plant me. I hold the secrets to prevent hair loss.
We’ve seen aging apps
What does the future of that little Saxaul you plant.
Meet Gary.
He was planted in 1982. Now he’s 38 years old and 2 meters tall. (Notice his full head of hair)
No, Gary isn’t our child. Is he yours?.. he could be:
In the dry dry desert, under that hot hot sun, Saxauls protect against unnecessary water loss through their weird “hair”.
"Leaves?" Yes, they are leaves, but they’ve evolved into weird scaly green hair-like fronds.
The Alxa League in Inner Mongolia – Ant Forest No.1’s Saxauls.
Managed by the Alxa SEE Fund.
Unlike us, Saxauls don’t experience hair loss in middle age, hence Gary’s confidence in the picture above.
Not only this, but the older they get, the more plentiful the Saxaul’s hair luscious and unkempt Gary’s hair will become!
Oi! Don’t step on my Saxaul!
So, let’s learn a little more about Gary’s cousin – your tree in the Ant Forest plantation.
Saxauls:
Grow in a wide range of temperatures (2~40C)
Are salt and alkaline resistant
Are highly drought resistant
Just a tiny rainfall will set the growth of a Saxaul into motion.
Not a fan of their green hair?
Never fear.
Around August or September, that little Saxaul will bloom with pretty little red and white flowers. “Plant cover king”; “Saviour of the waste”; add “plum blossom of the Desert” to the list of Greg’s titles.
So then, what’s the take-home message??
Saxauls are the bestest!
You too can be a parent. You too can plant a Greg.
So, the million-dollar question:
Why should it take 17.9kg of energy to grow a Greg??
The answer straight-up: because 17.9kg is the amount of carbon dioxide that a Saxaul will pull out of the air in it’s lifetime!
To be worthy of parenting your very own brand new baby Greg, you have to prove that you’re responsible enough to father a green-haired desert dweller. How? Walk 5kms. Take the subway. Take the train. Don’t get disposable chopsticks with your takeout – and wake up early to rummage through your friends’ trees!
