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The Flora and Fauna page is a compilation of 30 images of Flowers and Plants,
Trees and Landscape, and Sparky the Utah Prairie Dog selected from among the
pages in the Red Canyon section. Bristlecone Pines, Limber Pines, Pinyon Pines,
and Evening Primrose from the Cassidy and Arches Trails join the illustrious rodent.
Sparky the Utah Prairie Dog has her very own page with 25 images (click here).
Click an image to open a larger version.
Use your back button to return to this page.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Red Canyon Collection page where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links to the Red Canyon Galleries:
Pink Ledges Arches Trail Cassidy Trail
Golden Wall Trail Flora & Fauna Utah Prairie Dog
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Narrow-Leaf Yucca Red Canyon X5730
(563 KB)
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Red Canyon Bristlecone Pine Arches Trail 0716
(719 KB)
Above, a Bristlecone Pine root below the upper ledges on the Arches Trail, taken at mid-afternoon in late September. The 700-series images on this page were taken in September, the X-series images were taken in June.
On the left, a Narrow-Leaf Yucca on the flats approaching the Golden Wall Trailhead from above. The flower stalk rises through the spiny sword-shaped leaves to about five feet tall.
The Native Americans used the Narrow-leaf Yucca’s leaves to make baskets and sandals, the roots were used for soap, and the flower stalks were occasionally eaten. The Yucca was the single most important source of cordage in the Southwest. The leaves were chewed, soaked or boiled and the fiber was used to make belts, sandals, nets, ladders, mats and baskets.
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Red Canyon Bristlecone Pine Arches Trail X2308
(643 KB)
A Bristlecone Pine stands atop the ledge above the caves on the Arches Trail in the soft light of an overcast afternoon. The Bristlecone Pine is the oldest single living organism on Earth.
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Red Canyon Bristlecone Pine Cassidy Trail X2214
(455 KB)
A Bristlecone Pine on the Cassidy Trail plateau. Great Basin Bristlecone Pines grow slowly, at high elevations near the tree line. Some Bristlecone Pines are nearly 5000 years old.
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Red Canyon Bristlecone Pines Arches Trail X2358
(723 KB)
Stunted Bristlecone Pine trees rooted between rocks atop a ledge on the Arches Trail.
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Evening Primrose Red Canyon X2174
(403 KB)
A detail shot of an Evening Primrose on the Cassidy Trail, with the edges of the flower
just beginning to turn up in the light of day. The flowers open in the evening (hence the name)
and are pollinated at night by moths and certain specialized bees. The flowers close each day.
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Evening Primrose Desert Holly Red Canyon X2171
(676 KB)
Another species of Evening Primrose beside a Desert Holly at sunrise on the Cassidy Trail.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Red Canyon Collection page where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links to the Red Canyon Galleries:
Pink Ledges Arches Trail Cassidy Trail
Golden Wall Trail Flora & Fauna Utah Prairie Dog
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Red Canyon Junipers Cassidy Trail X2191
(806 KB)
Junipers in a wash on the Cassidy Trail in Red Canyon.
Several species of Juniper are in the area, including Utah Juniper and Rocky Mountain Juniper.
Like Limber Pines and Bristlecone Pines, some Junipers can reach great age (over 2000 years).
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Red Canyon Juniper Limber Pine Cassidy Trail X2188
(560 KB)
Juniper and Limber Pine on a slope above the Cassidy Trail.
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Red Canyon Juniper Limber Pine Cassidy Trail X2196
(512 KB)
Juniper and a gnarled Limber Pine on the Cassidy Trail.
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Red Canyon Junipers Cassidy Trail X2185
(712 KB)
A stand of Junipers on the Cassidy Trail in Red Canyon.
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Red Canyon Pinyon Pine Cassidy Trail X2202
(506 KB)
A young Pinyon Pine poking out from a group of rocks.
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Red Canyon Hoodoos Juniper Cassidy Trail X2243
(652 KB)
Mushroom hoodoos and Juniper on the Cassidy Trail.
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Red Canyon Precarious Pinyon Pine Arches Trail 0761
(662 KB)
A Pinyon Pine preserves a precarious perch on the precipice overlooking the Paunsaugunt Plateau.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Red Canyon Collection page where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links to the Red Canyon Galleries:
Pink Ledges Arches Trail Cassidy Trail
Golden Wall Trail Flora & Fauna Utah Prairie Dog
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Red Canyon Limber Pine Cassidy Trail X2211
(661 KB)
An ancient, twisted Limber Pine stands among Ponderosa Pines on an upper plateau of the Cassidy Trail.
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Red Canyon Limber Pine Cassidy Trail X2212
(581 KB)
Some of the Limber Pines on the Cassidy Trail are quite ancient (some can be well over 1500 years old).
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Red Canyon Tree Skeleton Arches Trail X2299
(929 KB)
A tree skeleton on the lower part of the Arches Trail, probably a Limber Pine.
The soft light of this overcast afternoon in late June was perfect for this sort of shot.
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Red Canyon Tree Skeleton Arches Trail X2321
(576 KB)
A sun-bleached tree skeleton stands on the slope below the Towers formation on the Arches Trail.
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Red Canyon Tree Skeleton Arches Trail X2352
(721 KB)
A Limber Pine skeleton on the Arches Trail. The 2300-series images were all taken on an overcast afternoon in June.
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Red Canyon Tree Skeleton Cassidy Trail X2166
(478 KB)
A tree skeleton at sunrise on the lower Cassidy Trail.
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Red Canyon Tree Skeleton Cassidy Trail X2237
(512 KB)
A tree skeleton below Brayton Point on the Cassidy Trail.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Red Canyon Collection page where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links to the Red Canyon Galleries:
Pink Ledges Arches Trail Cassidy Trail
Golden Wall Trail Flora & Fauna Utah Prairie Dog
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Sparky the Utah Prairie Dog has her own page with 25 images.
Below are 9 selections from the images on the Utah Prairie Dog page.
Utah Prairie Dog Red Canyon X2257
(495 KB)
Sparky the Utah Prairie Dog, checking out a spiny plant near her burrow in Red Canyon.
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Utah Prairie Dog Red Canyon X2255
(317 KB)
The Utah Prairie Dog is the smallest of the Prairie Dogs and is listed as a species Threatened with Extinction.
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Utah Prairie Dog Red Canyon X2285
(462 KB)
The rampaging rodents dig extensive tunnel communities, and the damage they cause to farms has made them targets.
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Utah Prairie Dog Red Canyon X2258
(367 KB)
“You talkin’ to me?”
(apologies to Robert de Niro)
Note the Bentonite clay sticking to Sparky’s fur, and the clump stuck on her nose.
It’s hard to take that deadly stare seriously when she wears an orange clay facial mask.
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Utah Prairie Dog Red Canyon X2262
(397 KB)
Sparky seemed to be very interested in the huge glass eye.
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Utah Prairie Dog Red Canyon X2287
(367 KB)
Eventually, she relaxed into her renowned modeling stance.
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Utah Prairie Dog Red Canyon X2263
(426 KB)
Sparky the Utah Prairie Dog sniffs a fragrant stalk near her extensive burrow in Red Canyon.
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Utah Prairie Dog Red Canyon X2267c
(825 KB)
The linked image is a detail crop from the SXL master,
showing the detail you can expect from the full-size images.
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Utah Prairie Dog Red Canyon X2292
(266 KB)
Sparky the Utah Prairie Dog doing her world renowned Meerkat imitation.
Prairie dogs sit erect to watch for danger, and yip to alert others with a complex
set of calls which describe the predator, how big it is and how fast it is approaching.
They also have calls for things which are not predators and are quite communicative.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Red Canyon Collection page where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links to the Red Canyon Galleries:
Pink Ledges Arches Trail Cassidy Trail
Golden Wall Trail Flora & Fauna Utah Prairie Dog
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Click the display composite above to visit the Pink Ledges page
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Click the display composite above to visit the Arches Trail page
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Click the display composite above to visit the Cassidy Trail page
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Click the display composite above to visit the Golden Wall Trail page
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Click the display composite above to visit the Utah Prairie Dog page
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