To survive, to continue life --- the key is the ability to reproduce. It may be through the help of animals, or the blowing of the wind, or via self-pollination. That's for desert flora. We can take a cue from these hardy plants whenever we find ourselves in that desert place of our lives: dead, dry, passionless, in deep silence, hardly any life, empty, alone...detached from the rest of the world and its goods, its noise, its people.
Here's a link to an article on the Theology of the Desert.
Hope it helps.
