Location: Lava Point Campground Area, 7900 feet Prior Weather: Hot and Dry the previous 4 weeks Paticipants: Tom Jones Time of Day: Morning Species Seen: Several Penstemons, Silky Lupine, Intermountain Mousetail (probably), a couple different daisys and/or Fleabanes, probably some Arnica, Northern willowherb, Utah Deerclover, Sego Lily, Searls Prairie-clover (Dalea searlsiae), Yellow Salsify (Tragopogan dubius), Wild Buckwheat Eriogonum racemosum, and the usual common herbs like Varileaf Phacelia, Yarrow and Yellow Sweet Clover.

After Wildcat Trailhead, I was hoping for some cooler temps up at Lava Point. It was somewhat nicer up "at the top", but when the sun came out, again, darn hot out! (But when I came back to reshoot a few things on the 23rd, it was wonderfully cool). Nice view from here, out across the dissected plateau of Zion. While Wildcat Cyn Trailhead was skimpy on flowers, a bit higher up, there was quite a display, including quite a few I had not seen before. So let's start with them...

An interesting "Flowerwalk", up at Lava Point. There are flowers in the infield of the campground, and along the road. After working the infield, it becomes "drive 50 feet, park, take pictures for half an hour, hop back into the car; drive 'til you see something new, park..."

Our first new species here is the Searls Prairie-clover - Dalea searlsiae / Pea Family Fabaceae. Plants 20" tall. I found exactly one clump of this flower in bloom, near the Lava Point Campground. If it was not in bloom, I would have missed it. Most sources list it as "uncommon". This area was recently logged to remove the invasive White Fir - perhaps the seed for this came from that activity.

References:   at Sacred Cliffs ----- At SUU ----- At SW Biodiversity

I caught this as it was completing its bloom cycle. Notice fresh flowers at the top, and old or rotten flowers on down from the top. Derrick has Dalea searlsiae just starting to flower at Sacred Cliffs.com

Here's the closeup of the very top.

A layered-focus shot, to show the top of the flower and the leaves.

I went back a week later (July 23rd) to take some more pics. You can see the "rotting" has considerably progressed.

The overall plant.

Is it weird that I like pics of decrepit flowers?