The term "flora and fauna" is a scientific term that refers to the plants and wildlife of a specific region or time. So while hiking Angel's Landing in Zion National Park recently, I was not only walking past red rocks and vertigo-inducing drop-offs, but was surrounded by the flora and fauna of Zion: its plants, spring flowers, and some its wildlife.It was the early part of May when we visited, so the spring flowers were out in full-force. In terms of wildlife, we got to see a couple of different lizard species and a wasp, but not much more in the way of creepy-crawlies.
I bought a copy of "Wildflowers of Zion National Park" by Dr. Stanley L. Welsh at the park visitor center and used the book to identify most of the flowers in my photo collection. In terms of the lizards and the wasp, I would like to thank three kind members of the "ID Please" group at Flickr: Mr & Mrs Apteryx australis, Patrick Alexander, and James Christensen. (By the way, "apteryx australis" is the scientific name for the kiwi bird which makes it kind of cute that someone who uses that "handle" at Flickr should help me out, me being a "Kiwi" and all that!
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the photos. I really enjoyed preparing them as some of the flowers are spectacularly beautiful, which is all the more amazing when you think of the hostile environment in which they grow. Oh, and after your view the slide show, be sure to check out the video below that I put together of just some of the flowers in the collection. Post a comment and let me know what you think.
Photo Collection of the Flora and Fauna Zion National Park
Slideshow Flora and Fauna Zion National Park
New: See video version of some of the wildflower photos
