Cactus flower and ant

Along Capitol Gorge road

Claret cup cactus

Cliffs and slopes

Desert varnish on cliff wall

Leaving Capitol Reef via Utah 24

Orchards planted by Mormon settlers contrast with the red cliffs at Fruita

Petroglyphs

Along the scenic drive

In tiling these photos, WordPress has made the big small and the small big. It’s fitting. This landscape is so vast that gigantic land formations, even mountains, are small on the horizon when seen from distances of 20, 50, 100 miles. And only when you take the time to pay attention close at hand do you realize how many plant species are blooming all around you, dwarfed by the rock.