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Flora and Fauna Zion National Park

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Female sideblotch lizardThe term "flora and fauna" is a scientific term that refers to the plants and wildlife of a specific region or time. So while hiking Angel's Landing in Zion National Park recently, I was not only walking past red rocks and vertigo-inducing drop-offs, but was surrounded by the flora and fauna of Zion: its plants, spring flowers, and some its wildlife.

It was the early part of May when we visited, so the spring flowers were out in full-force. In terms of wildlife, we got to see a couple of different lizard species and a wasp, but not much more in the way of creepy-crawlies.

I bought a copy of "Wildflowers of Zion National Park" by Dr. Stanley L. Welsh at the park visitor center and used the book to identify most of the flowers in my photo collection. In terms of the lizards and the wasp, I would like to thank three kind members of the "ID Please" group at Flickr: Mr & Mrs Apteryx australis, Patrick Alexander, and James Christensen. (By the way, "apteryx australis" is the scientific name for the kiwi bird which makes it kind of cute that someone who uses that "handle" at Flickr should help me out, me being a "Kiwi" and all that!

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the photos. I really enjoyed preparing them as some of the flowers are spectacularly beautiful, which is all the more amazing when you think of the hostile environment in which they grow. Oh, and after your view the slide show, be sure to check out the video below that I put together of just some of the flowers in the collection. Post a comment and let me know what you think.

Photo Collection of the Flora and Fauna Zion National Park

Slideshow Flora and Fauna Zion National Park

New: See video version of some of the wildflower photos


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Young at Heart: The Active Seniors Collection + Massive Redbubble Sale!

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Ollie Grandpa Stepping into the freedom of retirement after a long, 45-year career completely shifts your perspective. You finally have the time to let loose, hit the road, and truly embrace the fun side of life! That joyful, unrestrained energy is exactly what I wanted to capture in my newest Redbubble collection. I'm so excited to introduce my new " Active Seniors " series, featuring designs that perfectly embody the "young at heart" spirit. The series features a vibrant, adventurous little old lady tearing it up, and a matching active grandpa catching some serious air on a skateboard or cruising on a bright orange motor scooter. Complete with flower-adorned helmets, flying striped scarves, and big, beaming smiles, these characters are a tribute to everyone who refuses to slow down. These make fantastic graphic tees, travel mugs, or stickers for your own "Fa...
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Celebrating Aotearoa New Zealand: My Kiwi Pride Collection

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100% Kiwi Typography T-Shirt My mind constantly wanders back to my homeland of New Zealand, especially after my recent trip there with four of my friends from the U.S. I have only deepened my appreciation for Aotearoa and its unique culture and magnificent landscape. While I am already counting down the days until my next visit "way down under", I needed a creative outlet to express that connection right now. Between tending to the native Arthropodium cirratum and Pseudopanax ferox flourishing in my garden, I sat down to design something to help others express their Kiwi pride too. A Tribute to Aotearoa I am thrilled to introduce my "Kiwiana" collection over on my Redbubble shop. I've created both graphic and minimalist text artworks. These designs pop beautifully on crisp white graphic tees, sturdy travel totes, and die-cut stickers perfect for a water bottle....
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Book Recommendation for Digital SLR Cameras

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Note: This post was originally published in 2011, when digital SLRs were still relatively new for most amateur photographers and the question of how to learn them was genuinely fresh. The book recommendation below dates from that era. The post is preserved here as a record of a small, lovely coincidence — two friends asking the same question in the same week. Mallard duck. Photo by Chantal Manseau, taken at her local lake with her new digital SLR. An interesting coincidence happened this weekend: two friends had recently upgraded to digital SLR cameras, and both asked me — within days of each other — for recommendations on books or resources for learning how to use the features on their new cameras. Chantal's Email My friend Chantal emailed me first: I wanted to ask you about photography... How did you learn? Do you have a good book to recommend? I'm reading through the camera's manual...
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