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Most conspicuous along the roadside was the yellow columbine,
(Aquilegia flavescens). Patches of blues and reds added to the
beauty of the slopes, but due to the lateness of the season, some species
of flowers were not yet in bloom. In the meadow near the parking lot, two
species of buttercup showed good bloom. Lovely forget-me-nots, with the
typical crest in the throat which identified them as members of the Borage
Family, were found. Also identified was wormwood, (Artemisia
ludoviciana), one of the herbaceous sages. It is a pioneer herb
named after the German botanist, Ludovicius.
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The group found an earlier bloomer of the Pink Family (Holosteum
umbellatum) still with flowers. The remnants of past winter's
snow showed the lateness of the season. Some of the group attempted to
key out different species (there are eleven in the Wasatch Range) of
cinquefoil, and were misled by stems which appeared to be stolons, until
one person cleared up the picture. While unable to make more than educated
guesses, the puzzle was enjoyed.
Movement was at a leisurely pace for some, not expecting to find a great
variety of flowers, while others hiked to the Cecret (Secret) Lake. They
returned enthusiastic about the beauty of the view.
The high point of the morning for me was finding a Steerhead,
(Dicentra uniflora), a relatively tiny plant which some knew
only from pictures. These were discovered while crawling on hands and knees
looking for Spring Beauties known to bloom in the area. It is uncanny how
the four petaled flower resembled a steer's head.
Tiny pink coralbells (Heuchera rubescens) were blooming in
the crevices of large boulders. The noticeable differences in the vegetation
on the north and south sides of these huge rocks resulted from thermal
radiation and convection. In a cavity on the side of one of these boulders
was a Junco nest. The parent bird was distraught at the intrusion of the
inquisitive humans who peeked into the nest to see the four young.
At a stream edge nearby, the Brook Saxifrage showed its sawtoothed rounded
leaves, but the flowers were not yet in sight. Sedges in the area, on close
inspection with 10x hand lenses, showed a delicacy of stamens and pistils,
each subtended by a chaffy bract at the top of the stems. These stems were
triangular, having edges, as contrasted to the round stemmed rushes. (There
are at least 18 genera in the family of the sedges.)
A large starry-white Colorado Columbine and the
yellow groundsel added color to the vegetative carpet. The latter was keyed
to Senecio integerrimus based on the long wooly crinkled
hairs which, under the lens, looked like crystal.
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After a refreshing lunch and more companionship, the group headed down the
canyon. The panoramic view was impressive. A shrill whistle of the little
pika alerted the group, but because the echoes from many rock faces was
deceptive, the source of the sound was not located. Perhaps next year,
when UNSS returns to this beautiful basin, the finest in Utah, the little
haymaker will be located.
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Utah Nature Study Society NATURE NEWS/NOTES November 1978 |
Adapted for The INTERNET by Sandra Bray |
