Fuzzy Plants - EKO Stop 3

Pale green Hoary Rosemary Mint

NPS Photo

The wind moves the sand around at White Sands National Park. Many plants can’t grow inside the sand because they will blow away in the wind. The plants that grow in the sand have all found different ways to survive here. A plant pedestal is one such way of surviving. It is a tall structure of hardened sand. Pedestals form when the plant takes up water from the soil. When the soil dries out, the sand will compact around the root system. The wind blows the loose sand away from the root system, exposing the pedestal underneath. Hoary rosemary mint leaves have shiny white hairs all over. The hairs help protect the plant from the sun. Just like when we put on sunscreen, it protects us from getting burnt.