first appears in the rock record about the time of the dinosaurs - Early Jurassic (201.3 - 174.7 Ma) - and it persists on the landscape today and is known by a variety of common names.
Horsetail (genus Equisetum).
A most peculiar plant...
on the rusty landscape, preferring well-drained sandy soils and growing more than four feet (1.2 meters) tall on a slender stalk. It appears that Dr. Seuss designed this unusual high desert plant.
Swertia utahensis has no common name, apparently, but is a member of the Gentian Family.
Here’s a reference to its occurrence in Arches National Park.
Winged fruits of different morphologies...
assist these desert-adapted plants in seed dispersal by the wind. It’s feathers versus helicopter blades.
Cliffrose (Purshia mexicana).
Single leaf ash (Fraxinus anomala).
Erupting in a matter of hours...
from the lawn, this phallic fungus emerges on schedule in October. About a half dozen of these pungent and indecent structures have developed so far, likely triggered by the recent rains. Impressive.
Common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus).
Odorous chemicals in the slimy cap attract insects which will collect spores and spread them to other locations.
UPDATE: The following day, still standing erect but the cap has been consumed by insects, still attracted to the pungent odors.
Three well-preserved Miocene-age tree molds...
occur in the Wanapum Basalt Formation (Columbia River Basalt Group) along the Fish Lake Trail, exposed in a railroad cut through the volcanic formation within 100 yards (meters) of one another. One can easily imagine a landscape with a stand of large trees being invaded and enveloped by an advancing lava flow around 15 million years ago. I’m certain that 99% of the trail users aren’t aware of these interesting features and the story they tell.
Note the silicified wood that is preserved near the base of this large tree mold.
This tree mold is about 20 inches (0.5 meters) in diameter.
The underlying paleosol (ancient soil horizon) in which the tree were rooted is clearly seen here beneath the overlying basalt formation. This tree mold is about 15 inches (0.4 meters) in diameter and penetrates the interior of the volcanic unit.
The Colorado state flower...
in full resplendent beauty.
Rocky Mountain columbine (Aquilegia caerulea).
Enormous white blossoms of sacred datura...
the size of the palm of your hand are busting out all over. This lovely desert plant is also known as locoweed or Jimson weed due to its hallucinogenic properties, of which I have no experience but it does sound interesting.
Sacred datura (Datura wrightii).
To beat the heat...
one only has to drive a few miles and gain several thousand feet in elevation to access the high country in the La Sal Mountains where the columbine wildflowers are bursting forth.
Columbine (genus Aquilegia).
Shake hands with this wildflower...
and you’ll immediately understand where it gets its name. And it’s the biggest sunflower on the Colorado Plateau.
Rough mules ears (Wyethia scabra).
Whipple’s fishhook cactus...
is in full vivid fuchsia mode and doing its thing attracting pollinators.
Whipple’s fishhook cactus (Sclerocactus whipplei).
Vibrant red wildflowers...
are now igniting the high desert with hot spots of brilliant color.
Utah penstemon (Penstemon utahensis).
Claret cup cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus).
A reliable early bloomer...
is bursting forth in Castle Valley.
Panicled death-camas (Toxicoscordion paniculatum).
Spring arrives in the high desert...
in southern Utah, with the first splashes of bright color displayed by the common Indian paintbrush.
Indian paintbrush (genus Castilleja) in bloom at Round Mountain.
Upper end of Castle Valley, looking north. Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) is beginning to slowly awaken, too.
Forests of stamens...
topped with millions of anthers producing trillions of pollen particles in countless wildflowers during this season’s super bloom in the high desert is really hammering my allergies. It’s been quite miserable this year, especially if one likes to breathe freely.
Macro image of prickly pear cactus blossom showing the stigma (green bulb in center) surrounded by hundreds of stamens consisting of anthers at the tips of each filament. Amazing micro universe when one gets small.
Several patches of invasive thistle...
were the target of my energies this morning. You’re welcome, Castle Valley.
Know before you dig! There are several native thistles in southeastern Utah that are utilized by mule deer and other range animals, one of which is shown below.
Cainville thistle (Cirsium calcareum).
Yellow signals are being loudly broadcast...
to the remaining high desert pollinators by the tiny broom snakeweed and much larger rubber rabbitbrush, the last remaining flowering plants this season. They’re both quite lovely right now.
Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa (formerly Chrysothamnus nauseosus)).
Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae).
A phallic fungus...
raises its stinky black-capped head in a matter of hours, triggered by recent heavy rains and today’s warming sunshine. Several of these odd fruiting bodies have emerged over the last six hours. Flies love the putrid odor.
Stinkhorn fungus (Phallus impudicus), also known as prickle mushroom for some reason.
Thriving in disturbed areas...
this vibrant giant blazingstar is especially colorful against the dark basalt.
Giant blazingstar (Mentzelia laevicaulis), about three feet (one meter) in diameter.
Blazingstar blossoms are large, about 3.5 inches (9 cm) across, and full of whisker-like stamens.
Ripply reflection...
on Minnie Creek this morning, plus a bonus macro shot of monkeyflower, both captured in the soft light of dawn.
Common yellow monkeyflower (Erythranthe guttata, formerly Mimulus guttatus).
A citrusy explosion...
in both form and scent can be found in the shaded parts of the wetlands where mock-orange is resplendent right now.
Mock-orange (Philadelphus coronarius).
