national parks

Make Your Own At-Home Ode to a Joshua Tree

The national park wants to see your at-home creative efforts, nature fans.

casey kiernan

JOSHUA TREES? They grow slowly, very slowly, at least by our human calendars. Of course, the wondrous desert specimens are flourishing on their own time, and we'd never push a Joshua tree to grow faster than it should. We'll leave this beautiful process to nature, which knows just what to do, in the Joshua-tree-growing department, as evidenced by the glorious spread of spiky beauties found at Joshua Tree National Park. The park is temporarily closed to visitors, in the wake of the coronavirus, but the social media for the desert spread is still live and lively. What do we mean by "lively"? The posts from the park have been full of fab photos, as well as a recent intriguing challenge. And the challenge is this: Can you make your own Joshua tree?

HOLD UP, we're not talking about real and actual Joshua trees here. The mirthful message on the Joshua Tree National Park Facebook page on April 6 read "(l)ooking for a creative project you can do at home? Want something the whole family can help with? You might live far away from real Joshua trees but you can be inspired by their unique shapes no matter where you are.⁣" Many of us happen to be looking for creative pursuits, yes, and if they involve our love of nature, even better. The prompt continued: "We challenge you to make your own Joshua tree using objects (and/or pets and people) around your home. Have fun, be creative, and tag the park #joshuatreebyme to share your creation with us. We will post our favorites later this month.⁣" Could you make a tree shape from a pile of sweaters? The couch blanket? You and your kids?

FIND OUT MORE... right here, and put some flavor, humor, and whimsy into your make-it-at-home Joshua tree.

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