The living world of Arches

Small Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) at right with Yucca (lower left).

Cliffrose (Cowania mexicana), a shrub, at left in bloom and the showy Oenothera cespitosa at right. The large flowers lie close to the ground with relatively small foliage beneath.

Vibrant magenta flowers of hedgehog cactus, Echinocereus ?malanacanthus.
I only observed one blooming plant in the park at an overlook to Delicate Arch.

Paintbrushes did not seem to be particularly common. These flowers were seen
in the Devil's Garden.

Ephedra is a common plant in the park. The photo at right shows a close up of male flowers.

An identified pea (Fabaceae) in the Fiery Furnace. I believe I only saw
about two of these plants.

A complex biological soil crust at the Fiery Furnace. These crusts consist of
various microorganisms including cyanobacteria and take a long time to
form. Due to their ecological importance, the Park Service is concerned
about their damage. I saw well-developed crusts like this one in the Fiery Furnace
where access is more limited.

Lichens on the sandstone that makes up the side of Broken Arch.

Lizards were common in the park and usually allowed one to get relatively close
for a photograph. Unfortunately I did not see a leopard lizard which I think have
very a striking pattern of spots.

One of my favorite discoveries was finding animal tracks. These two sets of tracks were in soft sand near Sans Dune Arch. 

Two more sets of tracks from the Fiery Furnace. The ones at left are from a bird, while I'd like to image those at right are from a cat?

Pinyon, Pinus edulis. Along with junipers these are the largest
woody plants in Arches.

Yucca angustissima at the Devil's Garden. Two flower spikes
are developing. 

References

Blackwell LR. 2006. Great Basin Wildflowers. The Globe Perquot Press, Guilford, CN

Little EL. 1979. Forest trees of the United States and Canada, and how to identify them. Dover Publications Inc., New York

Patraw PM. 1977. Flowers of the southwest mesas. 6^th ed. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, Globe, AZ