by Karen Williams
I liked the perfect green spikes on this plant. They are evenly spaced, in a way that almost seems manufactured. The sand covering the plant adds even more interesting texture to the fuzzy surface of the spikes.
Showing posts with label Macro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Macro. Show all posts
Day 361: September 21, 2005 - Green Spikes
Day 333: August 24, 2005 - Bark
by Karen Williams
The multiple layers and interesting texture of this tree bark caught my eye. I am fascinated by the variety of plantlife that can be found in Zion, and enjoy observing and photographing the details of plants that are often overlooked.
Day 298: July 20, 2005 - Angel Trumpet Flower
It's easy to see where this beautiful, delicate desert flower gets its name Angel Trumpet. The scientific name is Datura wrightii or Sacred Datura and it is poisonous but the Native Americans sometimes used it as a hallucinogen (according to the guide on the bus in Zion).
Day 279: July 1, 2005 - Columbine
by Karen Williams
Columbine flowers look like they belong in Hawaii, not southern Utah. They are only found near springs in shady areas of Zion. I love their bright tropical colors, and unusual shape. And I love the areas where they grow - cool, wet oases in the middle of the hot, dry desert.
Day 278: June 30, 2005 - Dandilion Fluff
by Christian Williams
We have all seen dandilions. We used to scatter the little fluffy seeds everywhere as children. But as I looked closer at some dandilions I found today, I was fascinated by the shapes and details that each seed holds.
Day 276: June 28, 2005 - Purple Flowers
by Karen Williams
So you have probably noticed by now that I love flowers. I love to photograph them. Big, small, weed, tropical, I like them all. This one doesn't really look like a desert plant to me, the leaves have such a deep green color, and the blossom itself is a vivid shade of violet. Zion is like that though. You will be hiking along, and in a secluded corner of a canyon where the water from spring is slower to dissipate you will find a blossoming oasis of flowers and plants. Maybe that is why this desert landscape fascinates me so much. You never know what to expect - and are often pleasantly surprised at the enormous amount of life that thrives here.
Day 257: June 9, 2005 - Pink Phlox
by Karen Williams
It rained all morning, so the scenery looked a bit dreary. However, these beautiful Phlox flowers came alive with the fresh rain fall.
Day 254: June 6, 2005 - Lee Pass - La Verkin Creek Trail
by Karen Williams
Kolob is an area of Zion that is less explored, but offers stunning views of red rock, beautiful rivers, plantlife, and other stunning views of valleys and mountains. It is less crowded than the main area of Zion, and most of the best trails are only accessible during long day hikes or backpacking trips. We spend the next few days exploring some of the less seen areas of Zion in the backcountry.
by Christian Williams
As we were setting up camp for the evening, I noticed this large black beetle, with its back cracked open and a spider feeding on its insides. The beetles legs, mouth and antlers were still moving.
Day 248: May 31, 2005 - Paper Flower
by Karen Williams
I was walking around in east Zion near Clear Creek, and noticed this flower with paper thin petals. The delicate flower was so fragile, I was surprised it could thrive in the rough, sandy wash where it grew.
Day 247: May 30, 2005 - Bands of Light
by Karen Williams
I spotted this lizard fighting with another lizard and my presence distrupted their territorial confrontation. The two lizards quickly separated and ran in opposite directions. I'm always impressed how lizards can disappear into tiny little cracks in the rock. This lizard wedged himself where he supposed he was out of sight. I braced my macro lens up against the rock to get a picture of him in his hideaway. I like the effect of the two diagonal bands of light across the top and bottom that is created in this photograph. This effect on the rock is caused by the reflecting sun, combined with the higher ISO and lower depth of field required to reveal the shadows within.
Day 245: May 28, 2005 - The Sego Lily
by Karen Williams
The Sego Lily was named Utah's state flower, both for its beauty and place in Utah's state history. During a great famine in pioneer times, where crickets had devoured most of the crops, the early pioneers discovered the Sego Lily's bulbous root was edible. But probably not too tasty.
by Karen Williams
Another view of the Sego Lily with its petals in the closed position. It's a truly beautiful flower that I would not expect to come across growing out of the dry desert sand.
Day 224: May 7, 2005 - Caterpillar Surprise
by Christian WilliamsI had come across a nest of caterpillars like this once before, so I knew it wasn't an anomaly. But it was a fascinating sight, that still to this day makes my skin crawl.
by Christian WilliamsToday was another beautiful day in Zion National Park and we spent several hours exploring all of it. Here the often dry Clear Creek is running, due to the recent rains, and snow pack, which was beginning to melt.
Day 211: April 24, 2005 - Fragrant Sand Verbena
by Karen Williams
As the sun was setting, I decided to go walk near the river, hoping to take some interesting photographs with the reflections on the water. However, as I walked toward the river, I found this small patch of flowers. Their scent was surprisingly strong and sweet. I was surprised. I had not seen these before in Zion, and spent the next hour taking pictures of them.
It wasn't until later that I came across an entire field of Fragrant Sand Verbena in Zion's backcountry. Then I realized Sand Verbena is commonly facing up. It is only in the evening, as the light from the sun is fading, that the flowers turn over like shown in this photograph.
An interesting note on this photograph. After setting up the tripod and exploring the best angles, I took several photos of the flowers with the surrounding background visible. The sudden thought occured to me that I'd like to isolate the flowers, with nothing else visible, so I took off my jacket and placed it in the background to block out all the ambient light. The resulting photograph ended up being one of my favorites.
Day 206: April 19, 2005 - Flowers in the Snow
by Karen Williams
While out hiking I found some last remnants of snow. It hasn't snowed for awhile, but in some of the shady canyons, small icy areas still remain. These little flowers have pushed through the ice to bloom as a reminder that spring has come, even as the last reminders of winter melt away.
Day 205: April 18, 2005 - Tiny Spiny Desert Flowers
by Karen Williams
Life in the desert is plentyful, but often on a smaller scale and found in the places you least expect. The scale of this tiny flower can be seen by grains of sand within the spiny flower buds.
Day 189: April 2, 2005 - Flowers and Sheep
by Karen Williams
This macro shot compiles a variety of textures, from soft flowers, to spiny plants, to gritty sand.
I was surprised to find the domestic sheep still running around Zion today. Apparently they have gotten really good at evading predators as well as shepherds.
Day 183: March 27, 2005 - Miniature Blooms
Another example of the perfect miniature blooms found blooming in mossy areas of Zion in the spring.
Day 182: March 26, 2005 - Snow Buds
As we hiked into the backcountry of Zion, I came across these beautiful little buds, peaking out of the snow. The frost didn't seem to deter them, as we found many flowers blooming in spite of the cold weather.
Day 178: March 22, 2005 - Macro World
These tiny little spikey plants are so small you'd never notice them if you stepped on them. Zion is a desert environment, but because water plays such an important role in shaping the canyons it's not uncommon to find pockets of lush green plants like these.
Day 177: March 21, 2005 - Delicate Macro Flowers
These tiny, delicate flowers are growing directly out of the sand and rock. I think it's interesting that such inhospitable ground can still support a variety of plant life.
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