I swung by Cedar Breaks National Monument in late June, after a two-night visit to the North Rim of Grand Canyon. Haven't blogged that one yet, either. Because of the cold, snowy winter, there were still patches of snow around Cedar Breaks, and in areas of Dixie National Forest nearby. No wildflowers, except a few dandelions.
On this return trip, things were more typical of early summer rather than mid-summer. I walked the short trail from the Visitor Center to Sunset Point, and the trails from Sunset Point to the Campground, and from the Campground to the Visitor Center. Lots of wildflowers in those meadows. Indian paintbrush was common.
These are southern Lingusticum. Even more common, especially along forest edges.
Dandelion. I assumed they were exotic invasives, but I was told they're indigenous to the area, and important to bees, because they tend to be the earliest flowers to bloom in the spring. This was consistent with what I saw last month.
Fleabane.
Little sunflowers, in a field, south of the trail between the Campground and Sunset Point.
They were also thick in the meadow adjacent to Highway 143, just east of the upper Alpine Pond trail, near Chessmen Ridge Overlook. From that parking lot, it's a short backtrack along the road to get this shot.
If you're an asshole who drives a Jeep, however, you can just illegally pull on to the meadow adjacent to the road, leave part of your car blocking part of the lane, walk across the road, and take your pictures.
See? Asshole.
Shrubby cinuefoil is the yellow one.
More Little Sunflower, overlooking the amphitheater.
Trip turned out okay. Didn't get as much hiking as I had hoped, because of a late departure from home. But I got some nice night sky shots late Friday night, then the short bit of hiking at high altitude, to get away from the heat.
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