Canyonlands Flora & Fauna: August 2020

David and I enjoyed a stop for a few days in Moab, Utah on our way back south from visiting the kiddos in the north country.  It's always a treat to visit National Parks. The views In Canyonlands NP were spectacular.  The flora and fauna sparse, probably because of the triple digits in the high desert.  Still, a lot to love.

Gotta love lizard feet.  This is a Common Side-Blotched Lizard

The Common Ravens must be able to take the heat pretty well.  They were abundant.

We saw 3 male Mulies on the road up to the summit

These are something in the Sunflower family

Even without their petals, they add to the scenery in the canyons

It always amazes me when I see something growing from a rock, with no obvious soil

Broom Snakeweed

Plenty of Junipers in the area

Fringed Sagebrush

Alkali Mallow

Small Starvation Prickly Pear dotted the entire Canyonlands

They may be small in size, but they look like they could bite big!

Colorado Pinyon Pines have edible nuts -- you can see where they were in the cones

These sage-colored plants look a little like ferns

They are Woolly Locoweed

Utah Serviceberry

Broomlike Ragwort

This Juniper was a perfect Christmas Tree

Heerman's Buckwheat

Mormon Tea

5-20-20: Life moves pretty fast.....

......if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

-- F. Bueller

So David and I did some looking around today.  These pics are from after our Bear Cave hike.  We drove up to the CCC overlook on Red Bluff Drive. It was a beautiful day to soak in the scenery and do a little wildflower hunting.

This is some Common Peppergrass

which is in the Mustard family (4 petals, 6 stamen)

the first overlook on Red Bluff Drive was built by the Young Adult Conservation Corps

It's the Richter Overlook

Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge is down below here somewhere

From this spot one can see Mt. Nebo and Mt. Magazine -- which is the highest point in the Ozarks

Love the look of the Rabbitfoot Clover amidst some Panic Grass

would love to know what kind of Oak this is that I could see below

Clasping Venus Looking-Glass

Clasping Venus Looking-Glass get its name due to how the stem appears to pierce the leaves due to their tight clasping

very blurry picture of Blue Larkspur

I was excited to see this lone Blue Larkspur, but just couldn't get close

Tho it is blurry, you can still see the spur at the back which is supposed to resemble a lark's foot

We saw the tallest Venus Looking-Glass that I'd ever seen

picture perfect

random heart

no idea what it is, but it caught my eye

Texas Toadflax

Maybe Sparkleberry Bush

This Carpenter Bee was hugging one bloom while sipping on the nectar of another.

These bushes on top of Petit Jean Mtn seemed to be the bees' happy place! They were all over it.

As the first state park of AR, Petit Jean was built by the CCC in the 1930's.

Many of the structures are still there today.  The CCC built this overlook shelter in '33, and it was rebuilt in '81 by the YACC.

Looking across to another overlook that's on hwy 154

the views were mesmerizing

Today was the first day this week that this trail was open.  So we took advantage of it.

Great patch of Arkansas Beardtongue

Couldn't catch them, but the sound of the Eastern Bumblebees was absolutely musical

 

We watched Cedar Falls for awhile since it had a lotta watta! 

This is the overlook where Jakeb and Lacey got married

Sometimes things might seem lifeless, but they still have a lot to give

Selfheal and Panic Grass

These 2 Selfheal flowers found the perfect spot to greet folks at the overlook.

Blue Ridge Blueberry

look closely and you'll see an overlook on the other side

Looks kinda like a flower on this rock.  Lichen grows, but isn't a plant.  It's a combo of fungus and algae.  It's one of the main ingredients that hummingbirds use to build their nests.  It is used for perfumes and dyes.  Some say lichen could be used as antibiotics and sunscreen chemicals in the future. 

Foxglove Beardtongue is plentiful along some of the Arkansas roadways.  We stopped to get pics near Winrock Farms.

Foxglove is one of the penstemons.

Field Madder around the campsite

Eastern Bumblebees entertained us while sitting outside by the camper

They have a pretty buzz

So thankful for this week of camping.  It's been several months due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  

Couldn't have had a better week temp-wise.