Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Natural Roadsides
    Natural Roadsides
    Natural Roadsides
    Ebook146 pages57 minutes

    Natural Roadsides

    By Larry Hyslop

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Increase your enjoyment of these beautiful national parks through a broader understanding of these unique landscapes.

    Each article is concise; less than 400 words, but provides in-depth scientific descriptions and explanations. Each subject is seen or associated with a specific pullout, overlook or shuttle stop along park roads. Photos of the subject and location accompany each article.

    Readers will discover 40 interesting facts concerning these interesting landscapes. This fun book will prove valuable while preparing for a park visit, riding on a park shuttle or parked at an overlook.

    At Bryce Canyon’s Visitor Center, discover why ponderosa pine trees need wildfires. At Paria View Overlook, learn why hoodoos formed here. At Big Bend Shuttle Stop, encounter the recovery of California condors. All articles link from a table of contents by location and a table of contents by subject matter.

    Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLarry Hyslop
    Release dateFeb 8, 2014
    ISBN9781310211614
    Natural Roadsides
    Author

    Larry Hyslop

    Larry Hyslop lives in Elko, Nevada, where he contributes the “Nature Notes” weekly column to the Elko Daily Free Press. He travels extensively around the West, visiting national Parks.Larry has written nature descriptions covering the landscapes of national parks, along with guides to the Ruby Mountains and Elko area. He worked with Charles Greenhaw to develop guides to the California Trail through Northeastern Nevada.Grayjaypress.com

    Read more from Larry Hyslop

    Related to Natural Roadsides

    Related ebooks

    Travel For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Grand Canyon National Park

      Mar 13, 2019

      Grand Canyon National Park
      3 min read

    • Article

      Hidden Edges

      Aug 8, 2023

      Hidden Edges
      5 min read

    • Article

      Big-country Bucks

      Jun 29, 2021

      Big-country Bucks
      6 min read

    • Article

      Wild at Heart

      Mar 19, 2024

      Wild at Heart
      8 min read

    • Article

      Public Possibilities

      May 15, 2020

      Public Possibilities
      4 min read

    • Article

      Trees of Mystery

      Aug 27, 2021

      Trees of Mystery
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Spirit Of The River

      Apr 12, 2023

      ADIPPER has two-tone camouflage. Its white throat and breast resemble the reflected light from fastflowing water, whereas its dark plumage looks similar to the half-submerged stones on which it stands and curtseys. It blinks 40 or 50 times every minu

      5 min read

    • Article

      5 Best Public Land Spots

      Apr 16, 2021

      5 Best Public Land Spots
      7 min read

    • Article

      Scouting The Big Woods

      Mar 21, 2023

      Scouting The Big Woods
      7 min read

    • Article

      Q&A

      Dec 15, 2022

      Q&A
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Canyon Grand

      Mar 20, 2020

      The Canyon Grand
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Rare, Primeval Experience

      Nov 1, 2022

      When the last of the glaciers retreated from North America, they left behind the lakes, cliffs, gorges and watercourses familiar to Adirondack adventurists. North of Tupper Lake, they created something different—a 500-acre highland depression with no

      4 min read

    • Article

      A Busy Avian Pit Stop

      Jul 1, 2019

      A Busy Avian Pit Stop
      4 min read

    • Article

      Call Of The Wild

      Jul 28, 2022

      Call Of The Wild
      12 min read

    • Article

      Fabulous Funnels

      Sep 5, 2023

      Fabulous Funnels
      5 min read

    • Article

      Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

      Oct 12, 2019

      Around 15,000 years ago, a series of cataclysmic megafloods swept over eastern Washington, scouring away the soil, leaving buttes, basins, potholes, and networks of channels etched in the underlying basalt. The floods, caused by rapid draining of hug

      1 min read

    • Article

      Africa's Baobab Trees Can Live For More Than 1,000 Years, But The Oldest Are Dying

      Jun 12, 2018

      The oldest and biggest angiosperm trees in the world, the African baobabs, are dying or already dead, an international team of scientists has found. The scientists said the spate of deaths, described in the journal Nature Plants, might be the result

      2 min read

    • Article

      After The Flood

      Sep 17, 2023

      After The Flood
      6 min read

    • Article

      Playing The Late Game

      Oct 11, 2022

      Playing The Late Game
      5 min read

    • Article

      Everybody Knows The Frio

      Jun 18, 2019

      Everybody Knows The Frio
      7 min read

    • Article

      WANTED: Mangrove Cuckoo

      Feb 6, 2021

      WANTED: Mangrove Cuckoo
      7 min read

    • Article

      Q&A

      Jun 29, 2023

      Q&A
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Frontier Forests

      Jun 27, 2022

      The Frontier Forests
      4 min read

    • Article

      NORTH AMERICA Dive into the South

      May 4, 2023

      NORTH AMERICA Dive into the South
      11 min read

    • Article

      Outwit Hardworking Beavers

      Mar 18, 2022

      Outwit Hardworking Beavers
      9 min read

    • Article

      Picking Pockets

      Oct 13, 2020

      Picking Pockets
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Natural Roadsides

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Natural Roadsides - Larry Hyslop

      Articles by Location

      Zion National Park

      Zion Canyon Drive

      Z1 Visitors Center

      Whiptail Lizard

      Z2 Human History Museum

      Cactus adaptations

      Z3 Virgin River Bridge

      Virgin River

      Z4 Sentinel Slide

      Sentinel Slide

      Z5 Court of the Patriarchs

      Navajo Sandstone

      Z6 Zion Lodge

      Young Cottonwood Trees

      Z7 The Grotto

      Tree Frog

      Z8 Weeping Rock

      Springs

      Z9 Big Bend

      California Condor

      Z10 Temple of Sinawava

      American Dipper

      Z11 Temple of Sinawava

      Rock Squirrel

      Z12 Temple of Sinawava

      Slot Canyons

      East Zion Highway

      Z13 Second Switchback

      Desert Varnish

      Z14 East End of the Large Tunnel

      Desert Bighorn Sheep

      Z15 Small Tunnel

      Mexican Spotted Owl

      Z16 Slickrock Pullout

      Slickrock and Sand Dunes

      Z17 Checkerboard Mesa

      Checkerboard Mesa

      Kolob Terrace Road

      Z18 Lava Point Campground

      Pocket Gopher

      Kolob Canyons road

      Z19 Visitors Center

      Utah Yucca and Moth

      Z20 Taylor Creek Trailhead

      Pinyon Jay and Pine

      Bryce Canyon National Park

      B1 Junction of Utah route 12 and route 63

      Paunsaugunt Plateau

      B2 Visitor Center

      Ponderosa Pine

      B3 Sunrise Point

      Pronghorn Antelope

      B4 Bryce Canyon Lodge Turnoff

      Utah Prairie Dog

      B5 Sunset Point

      Winter Flocks

      B6 Inspiration Point

      Chipmunks and Ground Squirrels

      B7 Bryce Point

      Hoodoos

      B8 Bryce Point

      Snags

      B9 Paria View

      Great Basin

      B10 Mile Post #7

      Aspen Clones

      B11 Whiteman Trailhead

      Wildfire

      B12 Farview Point

      Firs and Spruces

      B13 Natural Bridge

      Aspen Bark

      B14 Agua Canyon

      Ravens and People

      B15 Agua Canyon

      Rock Formation Colors

      B16 Ponderosa Canyon

      Swallows and Swifts

      B17 Rainbow Point

      Bristlecone Pine

      B18 Rainbow Point

      Grand Staircase

      B19 Rainbow Point

      Greater Short-horned Lizard

      B20 Rainbow Point

      Clark’s Nutcracker

      Articles by subject

      Geology

      Z17 Checkerboard Mesa

      Z13 Desert Varnish

      B18 Grand Staircase

      B9 Great Basin

      B7 Hoodoos

      Z5 Navajo Sandstone

      B1 Paunsaugunt Plateau

      B15 Rock Formation Colors

      Z4 Sentinel Slide

      Z16 Slickrock and Sand Dunes

      Z12 Slot Canyons

      Z8 Springs

      Z3 Virgin River

      Plants

      B13 Aspen Bark

      B10 Aspen Clones

      B17 Bristlecone Pine

      Z2 Cactus Adaptations

      B12 Firs and Spruces

      B2 Ponderosa Pine

      B8 Snags

      Z19 Utah Yucca and Yucca Moth

      B11 Wildfire

      Z6 Young Cottonwood Trees

      Mammals

      B6 Chipmunks and Ground Squirrels

      Z14 Desert Bighorn Sheep

      Z18 Northern Pocket Gopher

      B3 Pronghorn Antelope

      Z11 Rock Squirrel

      B4 Utah Prairie Dog

      Birds

      Z10 American Dipper

      Z9 California Condor

      B20 Clark’s Nutcracker

      Z15 Mexican Spotted Owl

      Z20 Pinyon Jay and Pinyon Pine

      B14 Ravens and People

      B16 Swallows and Swifts

      B5 Winter Flocks

      Reptiles/Amphibians

      B19 Greater Short-horned Lizard

      Z7 Tree Frog

      Z1 Whiptail Lizard

      About the Author

      Introduction

      Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park are studies in contrasts. From Zion’s scenic canyon drive, most views are upward, at red cliffs towering over the canyon. In Bryce Canyon, the views are downward, at pastel-colored rock formations off the edge of the plateau. They also offer an elevation contrast between Zion’s arid canyon setting and Bryce Canyon’s cooler, forest setting.

      Both national parks offer refuge to rare species such as the California condor, Utah prairie dog, Mexican spotted owl, desert bighorn sheep and Great Basin bristlecone pine tree.

      Interesting relationships are visible between the Utah yucca and yucca moth, the Clark’s nutcracker and whitebark pine trees, ravens and people, pinyon pines and pinyon jays.

      These parks allow a chance to delve into ecological concepts such as wildfire and ponderosa pines, managing wildfires and valuable landscapes, new cottonwood tree recruitment, the importance of snags, the streams of the Great Basin, the body shape of the short-horned lizard, and cactus adaptations.

      Both parks are geological marvels, including Navajo sandstone, slickrock, hoodoos, checkerboard mesa, desert varnish, slot canyons, the Grand Staircase and Paunsaugunt Plateau.

      Visitors can learn to differentiate between species like rock squirrels, golden-mantled ground squirrels and Uintah chipmunks, between violet-green swallows and white-throated swifts, between the mountain birds forming winter flocks and fir trees versus spruce trees.

      Zion National Park

      Western Whiptail Lizard

      Z1

      Western whiptail lizard near the Visitors Center

      Zion Canyon Visitor Center

      This lizard is highly animated, darting across the walkways as it hunts for food in the dry foliage around the Visitor’s Center. It has a long and streamlined shape ending in a tail twice the length of the body. Its back carries variously colored spots or blotches forming stripes down its back. It can be as long as five inches, but the best distinguishing characteristic is that long tail (see B19, Short-horned Lizard).

      Visitors commonly see whiptails since they are active during the day. The first indication of their presence is often the noise of their running among dead leaves in their very characteristic start-stop motion. Western whiptails are usually nosing beneath ground litter for hidden food, with tongues constantly flicking out to probe the air. These frenetic lizards are definitely not the keep still and wait for food to come past type. They actively chase down their food in sprints that can approach 18 miles an hour. If not in the open, they are probably

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1