Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tional Park boasts over 900 species of plants—considered the richest diversity of
plants in Utah—while at Bryce Canyon the number is a bit over 400. In the lower
elevations, particularly in the hot, dry desert areas of Zion, you'll find cactus, mes-
quite, and yucca. As elevation increases, juniper and piñon are added, and eventu-
ally, in the high mountains of Bryce Canyon, you encounter a deep forest of fir and
spruce, with stands of quaking aspen that turn a magnificent bright yellow each
fall.
While exploring Zion, be sure to watch for spring lines and their lush hanging
gardens, which you'll see clinging to the sides of cliffs. Because sandstone is por-
ous, water can percolate down through it until a harder layer of rock stops it. At
that point, the water simply changes direction, moving horizontally to the rock
face, where it oozes out, forming the spring line that provides life-giving nutrients
to whatever seeds the wind delivers.
Trees
ASPEN
The most widely distributed tree in North America, growing from Alaska
to southern Arizona,
quakingaspen
are found in Utah, above 7,500 feet of elev-
ation, mostly above the rim and in the mountains at the southern end of Bryce
Canyon, and along the cliffs and plateaus at Zion. Named “quaking” for the trem-
bling movement of the leaves at the slightest wind, aspens have white bark and al-
most heart-shaped green leaves that urn a striking yellow or gold in the fall. Deer
and elk eat the twigs and leaves, and rabbits and other small mammals eat the
leaves, buds, and bark.
