Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : Pinyon Pine

Monday, July 13, 2015

Wildflowers and Wild Weather Tales

Photo-adventures at Gabbs Valley Range

While the monsoon season was in full force, I took a day trip over to one of my favorite wildflower locations, the Gabbs Valley Range. Located in the Great Basin Desert at 38°40'19"N 118°11'07"W, this area seems to have its own micro-climate and always gets more rain.

In the desert by the middle of July the wildflowers have all dried up, but in the higher elevations some of the flowers get a late start. A short drive up to the summit on SR 361 just past my turn-off to the left and I began to notice yellow accents of Prince's Plume.

Golden Prince’s Plume is a perennial that grows in alkaline soil and absorbs high concentrations of selenium which makes it poisonous to livestock and also humans. Regardless of its dark side, it sure lends beauty to the dessert landscape.

I saw a wide and level wash so I stopped for a walk back toward the rugged, Badland scenic mountains.

After a short distance, the small white flowers of a Fourwing Saltbush caught my attention that was loaded with blooms. A member of the goosefoot family, the seeds are wind-pollinated and also edible. Flour was made from its seeds by the Navajo.

Around the bend and before the wash started to narrow, I came upon a nice arrangement of yellow Prince's Plume pared with a flowering Indigo Bush. The desert indigo bush is a legume and was used by the Native Americans for dye.

At this point, I decided to turn back and not take a chance on surprising a rattlesnake that might be warming in the morning sun. As I turned, the purple flowers of Desert Sage stood out on the narrow bank of the wash. This was the plant referred to in Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage.

Looking up at the western sky, I noticed more clouds settling in and realized that I had better continue to my next location which was on the dirt road and up higher in the juniper and pinyon pines.

Further north on the dirt road were more indications of the localized storms that had brought so much rain to the area. Flood waters are always a concern when cumulus clouds begin to gather in the desert. Even though the storm may be miles away, water will take the path of least resistance to flow down through the washes and across the roads.

An accent of blue in the sand on the west side of the road was a healthy grouping of Silver Lupine. The endangered Mission Blue Butterfly larvae feed on the leaves of this poisonous plant. The butterfly then becomes toxic and gives off a bitter taste, to ward off predators. Because the plant is a danger to livestock, it is cleared from range-land, therefore eliminating a crucial food source for this butterfly.

In just a short while, I saw cumulus clouds growing and towering to the east that very soon would become a thunderstorm. It was time to head back and hope that I could out-run the potential dangers of wind sheer, flooding rain and hail.

Descending down to lower ground from the higher elevation, the sky was looking more ominous to the east and thunder was starting to rumble in the distance.

The sky to the south was not looking any safer and a micro-burst was starting to let go in the dry lake a short distance away.

A last glance back to the north and I had to stop for photos of the clouds that were creating such interesting patterns.

This was the second time that I raced for home with storms gathering all around and again I barely got in the garage before the rain and hail started beating against the back of my truck. Once the storm cleared, the clouds rolled back to reveal a snow-covered mountain range to the south.

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"

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http://www.bonnierannald.com/

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Monday, June 9, 2014

Wildflowers Along Gabbs Valley Range

Part II, What's Blooming on Rabbit Springs Road

Part two on my discoveries of wildflowers along the Gabbs Valley Range takes me back to Rabbit Springs Road from the side trip to Benton Spring. While driving a short distance, to my disappointment I began to notice that this area appeared very dry. Most of the moisture from any clouds just happens to become stalled over the Gabbs--Reese River area; however weather patterns in this portion of the Great Basin Desert can be quite unpredictable and also fickle.

I was beginning to fear that the lack of moisture was not going to allow for many wildflowers on this trip. As I was driving higher up and to the north on Rabbit Springs Road, I saw my first indication with a few small white petals of Spreading Phlox. This plant can grow to become so dense that the tiny flowers completely cover the leaves. Spreading Phlox mounds rarely grow higher than 4 inches above the ground. Maybe my luck was about to change and I would find more flowers as I drove up higher.

While walking around the area of the Spreading Phlox, my eyes were drawn to something red against the green needles of a pinyon pine. A closer look found just the one Desert Paintbrush, but what a striking scene it made with the pine needles. The Desert or Indian Paintbrush has brilliantly colored, torch-like flower spikes that range from electric pint to scarlet red. Growing on sagebrush slopes, the Paintbrush adapts by hooking its roots to the roots of a host plant.

The Pinyon Pine is a low, bushy evergreen that can reach a height of 15 to 35 feet, (4.6-10.7 m) and has adapted well in the high desert soil. Producing the edible pine nuts, the seeds are still collected by Native Americans for both cultural and economic purposes.

Gaining higher altitude, around 7,000 feet (2133.6 m) were a nice grouping of Silvery Lupines accenting the road-side with their deep blue-violet blooms. A member of the pea family, Lupines are found in rocky soils at 7,000 to 10,000 feet (2,134--3,048 m) elevation. A note of caution--the genus Lupins and especially the seeds are toxic to humans and animals if ingested.

Mixed in with the Silvery Lupines was an occasional Dwarf Lupine.

After reaching the higher altitudes more varieties of wildflowers were coming in view. The lavender flowers of a Crescent Milk-vetch were just starting to bloom. Preferring sandy or gravelly soils, this interesting plant is also known as Locoweed and comes with a word of caution as it is toxic to both humans and animals. When ingested, a disorder known as locoism will result. Locoism occurs chiefly among sheep, horses and cattle and is characterized by weakness, impaired vision, paralysis and irregular behavior.

Just as I was driving past, I noticed the tall, deep purple blossoms of a Subalpine Larkspur. The showy flower grows along shady, subalpine streams and meadow edges so I was curious as to why it was on the bank of this rocky dirt road. This plant too comes with a warning and contains toxins if eaten which can be fatal to both humans and animals.

My drive had now taken me to the mountain pass and it was time to turn around.

The interesting aspect of outdoor photography along a trail is that everything looks different on the trip back. The lavender trumpet flowers of Purple Mat were blooming off to the side. Purple Mat has been known to carpet the desert floor with ample rain.

A little further on, the white Desert Pincushions were just starting to bloom. These small multiple flowerheads accent the slopes, hillsides and shrublands in many areas of the Great Basin Desert.

The last group of wildflowers to my delight was a bunch of Spreading Fleabane nestled against rust colored sandstone rocks. The small daisy-like blossoms are short-lived, so this was a very exciting finale for a day of wildflower photos.