lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

First Lizard Sighting of 2018!

It’s a 70-degree day in Las Vegas on January 29, and I’ve spotted my first lizard.  It’s really lethargic, trying to soak up some sunshine so it can move.

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 2018

January 19, 2018: They can’t make a deal, so they shut the government down. People like me who work at public lands have to pack it up and go home. 

January 20, 2018: Employees can come in for a bit to gather more belongings. We’ll also let the public in for a bit.

January 21, 2018: Public lands are closed.

January 22, 2018: Public lands are open, but unmanned.

(January ???: Public lands get trashed!)

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

BRING BACK NATURE WORDS TO THIS DICTIONARY! 

Why on earth would anyone remove nature words from the dictionary? How will the children ever know what these things are? Sign the petition!

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

It’s finally fall in Las Vegas!  Goodbye to 3 1/2 months of over-100 degree heat.

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Great panoply of plants!

Plants of the desert

Story and photos by Alec Bryan, BLM Tumblr blogger

Deserts are often depicted as barren, windblown, rolling hills of interminable grains of sand, devoid of all life and bereft of changes in color but for the shadows of its waves. Many of the deserts of the Western United States; however, play host to a variety of vibrant plant life.

Some of the plants exhibit beautiful symmetry and color like the sego lily. Others, like the wholeleaf Indian paintbrush, get color and nutrients by feeding on nearby plants. The desert trumpet changes colors in the fall and often is found mistakenly when it pops under someone’s footfall.

Monsoon season in the Southwest is an opportune time to see the blooming cholla cactus, Galisteo sand verbena and numerous other plants that have remained dormant until the swelling skies begin to burst. Some plants exhibit strange growth patterns, like the desert cabbage, which looks like it has been taken straight from the sea floor. Apache plume catches light as it dances across its pink, silky feathers.

If visited at the right time of year, many of the deserts of the Western United States are a canvas of color abounding with vibrant life.

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

I’ll feel this way again when the temp dips below 100 degrees.

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

There is natural beauty in the Mojave Desert.

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

These plants and animals seem to be doing well in the extreme Las Vegas heat.

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

Unbeknownst to some people who work at Red Rock Canyon (Las Vegas), US Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke paid a visit.  Must have been a secret.  Except for the fact that he tweeted about it afterward. 

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

You need patience and keen eyes.

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

The Mojave Desert bedecked with colorful flowers, but only for a short time.

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

Nuclear test in Nevada desert.

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

Dumping trash in the desert.

[lookingfornatureinthewastel-blog]

Nevada is a wasteland.

anon