discarded along the trails and roads.
Whipple's fishhook cactus...
is the first of about a half-dozen species of cacti in the area to throw out its blossoms. It’s pink!
Whipple’s fishhook cactus (Sclerocactus whipplei).
The elixir of life...
flows from the high La Sal Mountains as snowmelt in Castle Creek, then across a thirsty land where it is put to work nourishing the crops on the Adventist’s Daystar Academy farm lower in Castle Valley.
Headworks with incoming water diverted from Castle Creek.
Headgate is set and locked to limit diversion to that specified in their water right. Excess water is returned to Castle Creek.
Parshall flume open channel flow metering device that is used to measure the flow of irrigation diversions.
The so-called Quakie Shake pond, the storage reservoir for the gravity-driven irrigation network.
Deep dive...
into the extraordinarily lovely sego lily, one of my most favorite desert plants.
Blossom of sego lily (Calochortus nuttallii) with several pollinators.
Optimum thermal conditions...
allowed these two base jumpers to ride the uprising currents around Castleton Tower and stay aloft for more than an hour.
Smokey the Bear...
is the official greeter as one enters the Town of Castle Valley. Respect his authority!
There seems to always be a controversy in the diverse community, hence the “Caution Falling Sky” sign!
The bloom parade continues...
Naked-stem sunray (Enceliopsis nudicaulis).
Dwarf lupine (Lupinus pusillus).
Distinct foreset crossbedding...
has been imaged by the Perseverance rover in the distant outcrops that mark the delta front in Jezero Crater on Mars. This is a clear indication of prograding (advancing) sedimentary deposits in water!
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired these images using the SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager, located at the top of the rover's mast, on 24 April 2021 (Sol 63).
Diagram illustrating bedding relationships in a prograding Gilbert delta (from researchgate.net).
Moonlit Parriott Mesa...
with the International Space Station zooming by high overhead early this morning around 4:50 am MDT. There are 11 ape-descendants onboard the ISS at present, the highest occupancy since it was assembled in orbit commencing in 1998.
Polaris (the North Star) is directly above Parriott Mesa and just a smidge beneath the path of the ISS. It’s the only bright star that isn’t slightly blurred in this nearly two minute-long exposure.
The enormous sundial...
known as Castleton Tower casts its shadow on the north-facing slopes of Adobe Mesa, sweeping rightward each successive night, until it appears nearly below the prominent tip of the mesa at the time of the summer solstice.
Hummingbirds are back in town...
Black-Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri).
Time to bloom...
Showy four-o’clock (Mirabilis multiflora).
Mormon tea (Ephedra viridis).
Sunday walkabout...
in nearby Stearns Creek drainage. Here’s a wide panorama looking south:
Mars on Earth! Click on image to enlarge.
Annotated panorama. Left side is towards the east; Right side is towards southwest.
Snake in the Mouth...
petroglyph panel is about two meters square, and likely depicts a snake dance ceremony.
Note the use of (faded) blue pigment on the eyes, on the snake in the mouth, and on the collar on the snake on the left.
Nearly ready to bloom...
Narrowleaf yucca (Yucca angustissima).
Intestine Man...
is an amazing and extraordinarily anatomically detailed pictograph located north of Moab. The panel shown below is about two meters wide and shows three anthropomorphic figures on the left and six birds laid out on the right.
This image was taken when the panel was fully shaded from the sun, and the brightness and contrast adjusted so that the details can be seen more easily. (Click on the image to enlarge.)
Nearby petroglyphs on a desert varnished sandstone surface.
Bighorn sheep petroglyphs.
A natural sandstone billboard...
sits beneath Convent Mesa, on the far right, in the image immediately below. Three of the four sides of the nearly cubic block are adorned with dozens of petroglyphs, two of which are included here, each about 30 cm across.
Early local explorer Mat A. Martin inscribed his name on the deeply shadowed eastern side of the block. Width of view is about 1.5 meters.
Three in the heronry...
this morning, with what I believe are two males vying for the attention of a single female. I’ll be watching and shooting in the weeks to come!
Bold daylight raiding rodent...
at the feeding station this afternoon. I’m positive it can fit more seed in its cheeks!
A well fed rock squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus).
This lowly darkling beetle...
is just one of an estimated 20,000 species belonging to the family Tenebrionidae.
Darkling beetle approximately 2 cm long.