San Rafael Swell

A typical gorge type canyon in the San Rafael.
 

Running in a north to south pattern in central and eastern Utah is the San Rafael Swell. The area is an upthrust in the Colorado Plateau which has caused many canyons, slot canyons, buttes, mesas, arches, and large valleys to be created.

Located primarily in Emery County, Utah the San Rafael Swell is traversed by Interstate 70 from Salina, Utah on the west to Green River, Utah on the east.

The area has had many special proposals to preserve it including the making of a national park.

Anasazi and Fremont Indians lived in this are from 3,000 to 600 years ago at various times. These tribes were hunter gatherer and agricultural based tribes. Many of their villages, pueblos, and grave sites mark the area where these civilizations thrived. Indians left petroglyphs and pictographs behind on the stone cliffs as to their day to day life stories.

Later when white settlers came the Spanish used the area as part of the Old Spanish Trail for trading and exploring. Other whites came through to explore such as John Wesley Powell on the Green and Colorado Rivers.  The Mormons after several unsuccessful attempts settled the area from 1870s through 1900.

Outlaws such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid used the canyons as hideouts from the law due to the mazes and labrynths of canyons were a natural obstacle to any law enforcement. The Mormon Settlers established towns such as Richfield, Salina, Castle Dale, Emery, and Green River as farming and ranching communities. The desert terrain was good for running cattle due to high plateaus that had numerous natural pastures in the Spring and Summer. Cattle rustlers also used this land to steal and conceal bovine quarry.

This vast expanse is traversed by many slot canyons which can be deceiving to the unprepared hiker.

The San Rafael Swell is home to a variety of cacti such as the hedgehog cactus, fishhook barrel cactus, and the prickly pear.  It also has the Harriman's Yucca and the Spanish Dagger yucca as well.  The summers are mild to hot ranging from 80s in the highlands to well over 100 degrees in the gorges and larger canyons. Lows are in the 60s to 70s Fahrenheit depending on elevation.

Winters are often at freezing or below in the higher elevations during the day time and the valleys are in the 30s and 40s Fahrenheit. At night winters can be below freezing in the valleys and colder in the highlands.

Buttes, mesas, hoodoos, arches, free standing rocks, rock fins and other strange formations are concentrated more here than many areas of the Colorado Plateau due to the folding action of the earth's crust.

Much of the San Rafael can be viewed by driving Interstate 70 from east to west or vice versa. The rest is accessed by dirt road, OHV, horseback or hiking. Due to the deceptive terrain and numerous slot canyons it is wise to know your route and prepare for the unexpected if going into the deep back country.  Typical animal life is that of the west including desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn, deer, cougar, and bison to name a few.

There is much debate over natural resource development vs leaving the San Rafael as it is. As such it appears a multiple use land policy will need to arise with stakeholders of all sorts giving up something in order to utilize the rich energy and the scenic wilderness that is the San Rafael Swell.

From The Photo Album

Digging through the photo album on the computer I couldn't come up with a standard theme for this post. So I just figured that I would put up some desert photos and others that interest me.

To the left is a desert scape I took in West Valley City, Utah. In the photo are banana yucca, soap tree yucca, Joshua Tree, Mormon Tea among others. This person had the combination of various plants to make their yard look really good.

In Juab County, Utah out in the western Utah desert is an oasis called Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge. Some 150 miles southwest of Salt Lake City this is truly the middle of no where.  What is more interesting is that there are people that actually live out in the sticks to manage this place.  There are no paved roads out in this area, only improved dirt roads.  If you have a road worthy machine then you are in luck.  The picture is at Fish Springs looking north toward Dugway Proving Grounds Military Area.

This is a Autumn shot up Diamond Fork Canyon in Utah County, Utah.  Looking south you can see the southern Wasatch Mountains.

The photo to the right is Quail Creek Reservoir, outside of St. George, Utah. This is a colorful area of Utah. I was grateful that the light was just right to capture this particular shot looking northeast. Here the blue waters

compliment the colorful red, orange, and brown rock of southwestern Utah's Mojave Desert.

This is another photo from Diamond Fork Canyon, Utah.  Looking toward the north you can see where the Wasatch Mountains of the Rockies meet the beginnings of the reddish colored mountain areas of the Colorado Plateau.

Nothing screams being in the middle of the desert like being in Las Vegas, Nevada.  In the older area of the strip is Fremont Street. A portion of this street has been covered by a large canopy with millions of LED lights.  I was able to get this one with my cell phone. It turned out pretty good. If you like lips then savor the moment.

Winter in northern Utah can be cold. And with cold comes frozen waterfalls. This picture is of Bridal Veil Falls near Provo, Utah.  The main part of the falls continue year round. The slower falls freeze up creating this beautiful type of cliff ice sculpture.

During the summer there is nothing like a Rocky Mountain Meadow shot. I took this one while roaming the back country of northern Utah. There is something nice about getting off the main trail and seeing what is beyond the horizon.

Sometimes getting the right sky meeting the hilltops makes for a great shot. This one is about 8,000 feet above sea level in the Utah Wasatch. The clouds were perfect on this day for a nice window into the moment.

This photo to the right I happened to capture right before the sunset. I thought these flowers growing in this large ornamental pot were a great shot. This is in downtown St. George, Utah.

Nothing says beauty like a prickly pear in bloom. This  opuntia from the Mojave Desert sits in my yard. This was taken summer 2010 when I had great results with the multiple cacti flowering.

The last photo shows the American Flag. I am always proud of my country and what America represents and the beauty of the land.

Hands Off The Yucca, Succa!

Y. filimentosa or Adams Needle is common here in Utah and now is the time for these lovely blooms to come out. Adam's Needle is from the eastern United States, but does well out here in the Great Basin Environment as well as the South and Atlantic regions of the United States which are definetly more humid.

Some of these yucca have grown in mounds in the gardener's planting areas. They are common in landscaping here and I assume other areas. They are very cold hardy yucca and tolerate drought conditions as well as wet conditions.

The latter does not mean overwater though.

My second is called a Red Yucca, but it is not a true yucca. It is actually called hesperaloe parviflora var. parviflora. Like true yucca it is in the agave family. My plant that bloomed this year is actually not the best plant. It has been on the cusp each winter, but bounces back. So I put up the picture so that I could show this little "yucca" that could.

Cultivation of yucca is rather less complicated than other types of plants. They largley require little maintenance, many are cold hardy, and they have longevity on their sides.  A good thing to remember is that all desert or drought tolerant plants need some type of fertilizer and regular watering.

During the high summer I water the yuccas that I have weekly to semi weekly depending on temprature. As always use well drained soils to prevent root rot. If you have clay soils, then a mix of clay, sand, and rock type soils will take care of water retention problems and help prevent root rot.

I am not a plant professional, nor play one on TV. But advice is free and if I can lend some experience in yucca care I am willing to do so for the three people that have visited my site. Have a great Independence Day if you are in America, otherwise enjoy the weekend.

Cherry Creek State Park

Cherry Creek State Park.   It's just a few miles away from me. Most people enjoy the boating and biking.  I really enjoy looking at all the cacti and yuccas!  Me and my girls went hiking there yesterday and today. We ran into some coyotes "play fighting."  They almost ran into us.  We also saw deer, prairie dogs, a large hawk. A neat place to view wildlife as well.

Fathers Day: Give Dad A Yucca

Tired of giving dad that stupid old tie or a new set of screwdrivers this Fathers Day?  Give a gift that keeps on giving. Give dad a yucca. They come in all shapes and sizes.  Yucca typically are recognizable by their long sword like fibrous leaves that come to a point.

Some species are soft like Adam's Needle while others are very painful if not treated with care such as Yucca Bacata.  Most yucca shoot up a stalk in the spring or summer with milky white to off white flowers.  Some yucca grow in colonies or clumps while others are more solitary and have a trunk.

Some do well in humid wet climates, but most prefer dry well drained soils with minimal watering. Many are cold hardy and will stay some degree of green all year around, though most growth occurs during the standard growing season of the area.

So give dad something that will poke him and keep him on the straight and narrow. Give the gift of a yucca. Happy Fathers Day!

Utah's Northern "Zone 8?"

There is an area west of Salt Lake City in West Valley City, Utah.  West Valley is located about 5 miles away from the south end of the Great Salt Lake.  The Great Salt Lake is eight times saltier on average than the ocean.

Salt Water freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water. During the winter areas around such bodies of water create an area that may be one half to one zone in temperature higher as based on the USDA Hardiness Zones, the map that shows what plants do best in what climates.  It is based on average minimum annual temperatures.

What is interesting is that Joshua Trees grow very well in this area as compared to other areas well outside their range.  West Valley City is typically a zone 7, but could the area nearest the Great Salt Lake be closer to a zone 8?  Here are some pictures I have taken of several types of yucca that seem to thrive here better than other areas of the Salt Lake Valley.

                  This above photo is of Yucca Bacata also known as a Spanish Dagger beginning to bloom.

                                    A young Joshua Tree planted in a zero scaped curb setting.

Two small yuccas growing on a curb.

Below is a landscape of various yucca species and cacti.

Cactus Bloom Season

Cactus bloom season has begun. The little devils prickle all year long. But like the fourth of July it really is a beauty to behold the cactus bloom.

To the right is the hedgehog cactus with it's red blooms. This year this one of three that I have put in my garden produced these beautiful blooms of crimson red. Truly worth the wait each year for thise blossoms.

To the left is a picture of prickly pear. What was unique about this picture is that the cacti, yucca and other plants are not in bloom, but the tulips are. The tulips though are full bloom and accent the cactus well. So I added this in this blog entry because it is a rarety to see tulips and cacti in the same picture.

One of the best pictures I feel that I have taken in Salt Lake City.

More cacti in my garden are blooming and I hope to publish these. Cacti and yucca blooms make it all worth while.

The Mighty Joshua Tree

Joshua Trees have long intrigued me. They are the largest of the yucca family and can live for hundreds of years.

The name for the plant Yucca brevifolia, comes from the Mormon Pioneers who described the yucca as the Biblical Joshua with his arms raised to heaven.

Joshua Trees define the boundaries of the Mojave Desert in Utah, Nevada, and California in the north, Arizona to the east and south and California to the south and west. They are commonly cultivated in desertscapes throughout the American Southwest outside of their

normal range with fairly good success. *Also, don't forget the joshua tree in Aurora, CO is THRIVING!* The only protection it receives is being planted against the house**

They stand as sentinels to an old west type of time when survival by your own wits was they way to go or die. What is interesting is that many of the older trees could have been well established as the pioneers made their way west to southern Nevada, California, and Arizona.

Joshua Tree National Park in California is famed for some of the largest Joshua Trees on record. They can be grown from seed, though somewhat tedious to do. I have one sapling that is a fluke of luck and survived the winter buried under snow.

They are commonly out of range found in cities and towns across the west. I have seen them in Salt Lake City, Utah and surrounding areas, I have one and a large yucca, not a Joshua Tree, but equally as tall growing on a ditch bank in American Fork, Utah. I have also seen them in Moab, Utah, Grand Junction, Colorado, Wendover, Utah and even Oregon.

Do not hug a Joshua Tree or you will bleed. Just appreciate the sentinel of the American Southwest.

Welcome to Cactus and Yucca Rebel

This site is dedicated to all things cactus, yucca, desert, palms, and tropical plants and assorted BS. As an adventure of two plant nuts we seek to push the boundaries of normalcy of warm plants beyond their natural limits and cultivate hardy plants.

So enjoy the opinions and rantings of Dave and Kirk the yucca and cactus rebels.