The Journey is the destination
Utah, a state in the western United States, is renowned for its stunning natural landscapes and unique geological formations. It is characterized by vast deserts, towering red rock formations, and the dramatic peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Home to five national parks—Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches—Utah attracts outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers from around the world. Its capital, Salt Lake City, is a hub of culture, history, and outdoor recreation, famously hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics. Utah’s diverse terrain offers opportunities for skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and exploring ancient Native American petroglyphs and archaeological sites. The state’s Mormon heritage is also evident in its history, architecture, and the world-famous Salt Lake Temple.
In the spring on 2020 I was photographing along the Morning Star Mine Road, we happened upon Palmers Penstemon ( penstemon palmeri ). This species is the most surprising and beautiful wild flowers I have seen in the Mojave Desert.
Mojave prickly pear ( Opuntia erinacea ), or grizzlybear prickly pear, is a fairly common cactus with a wide spread distribution across the desert south. Although their are varieties, this cactus is characterized by the high density of its spines. The spines may be white or pale yellow and reddish in color at the base. The spines may vary is length between one and seven inches in length.
The pads of this cactus are medium in size at three to fives inches across and grey-green in appearance. The plant flowers in the spring between May and July. The flowers boast color varieties of yellow to rose.
The cactus is low lying and grows in medium sized clumps which are no more the two feet in height. The reach of the cacti is known to grow up to ten feet across. This plant flourishes in Creosote Bush Scrub, Pinyon-Juniper and Joshua Tree woodlands and are known to grow at up to 7,000 feet in elevation. Typically, this plant is found in well-drained, sandy or gravel soil types. They can be found in washes, canyons and along the slopes of lower mountains.
Arizona Thistle ( Cirsium arizonicum ) is a member of the sunflower family and common across the south west. The thistle has a two year live span. For the first year, it thrives as a low lying rosette of thorns. The second year of life, the plant springs into action and can grow up to four feet tall and grows a flower stalk to hold a purple colored flower head high into the air. The flower is known to bloom in red, pink and purple in color.
The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), often immortalized in cartoons as a speedy trickster, is a fascinating avian species native to the arid landscapes of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This long-legged member of the cuckoo family is renowned for its terrestrial lifestyle, impressive running speed, and opportunistic predation, including on venomous snakes. With a distinctive crest, mottled plumage, and a penchant for darting across open ground, the roadrunner embodies adaptation to harsh environments.
The Greater Roadrunner belongs to the kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Aves, order Cuculiformes, and family Cuculidae (cuckoos). It is one of two species in the genus Geococcyx, alongside the Lesser Roadrunner (Geococcyx velox), which is found primarily in Mexico. The scientific name Geococcyx californianus translates to “Californian earth-cuckoo,” reflecting its ground-dwelling habits and historical association with California. Fossil evidence from the Pleistocene and Holocene periods indicates that the species once inhabited sparse forests before adapting to arid conditions around 8,000 years ago. It is classified as a Nearctic species, native to the northern part of the New World, and exhibits characteristics such as bilateral symmetry, endothermy, and omnivory.
This medium-sized bird measures 50–62 cm (20–24 inches) in total length, with a wingspan of 43–61 cm (17–24 inches) and a weight ranging from 221–538 grams (7.8–19 ounces). Standing 25–30 cm (9.8–11.8 inches) tall, it is the largest cuckoo in the Americas. Its plumage is predominantly brown with black streaks and occasional pink spots on the upper body, transitioning to white or pale brown with dark streaks on the neck and upper breast, and a pure white belly. A bushy blue-black crest adorns the head, which can be raised or lowered, and bare patches of orange and blue skin (with white in adult males) surround the bright yellow eyes. The long, stout bill is grayish-brown to gray with a hooked tip, ideal for capturing prey, while the zygodactyl feet—two toes forward, two backward—are brown with pale gold spots, aiding in perching and running. Sexual dimorphism is minimal; females are slightly smaller, but plumage is identical across sexes. Juveniles lack the colorful postocular streaks and appear more bronze-toned. The bird’s streamlined body and long tail, carried at an upward angle, enhance its agility on the ground.
Greater Roadrunners are predominantly terrestrial and diurnal, active from sunrise to mid-morning and late afternoon to evening in hot climates, resting in shade during the midday heat. They prefer walking or running at speeds up to 20–26 mph (32–42 km/h), using their long tails as rudders for steering, braking, and balance, and rarely fly except for short distances or to hover briefly. Vocalizations include a descending series of low coos by males, short shrills by females resembling coyote squeals, and chatters during incubation. They communicate via acoustic, visual, tactile, and chemical signals. Thermoregulation is key in arid habitats: they pant to evaporate water, enter nocturnal hypothermia (dropping body temperature from 104°F to 93°F or 40°C to 34°C to save energy), reabsorb moisture from mucous membranes, and excrete salts via nasal glands. Sunbathing involves spreading wings to absorb solar heat through black skin patches, often for hours in cooler weather. They are curious, sometimes approaching humans, and defend territories year-round, with males being more aggressive. In winter, they seek shelter in dense vegetation or among rocks.
This medium-sized bird measures 50–62 cm (20–24 inches) in total length, with a wingspan of 43–61 cm (17–24 inches) and a weight ranging from 221–538 grams (7.8–19 ounces). Standing 25–30 cm (9.8–11.8 inches) tall, it is the largest cuckoo in the Americas. Its plumage is predominantly brown with black streaks and occasional pink spots on the upper body, transitioning to white or pale brown with dark streaks on the neck and upper breast, and a pure white belly. A bushy blue-black crest adorns the head, which can be raised or lowered, and bare patches of orange and blue skin (with white in adult males) surround the bright yellow eyes. The long, stout bill is grayish-brown to gray with a hooked tip, ideal for capturing prey, while the zygodactyl feet—two toes forward, two backward—are brown with pale gold spots, aiding in perching and running. Sexual dimorphism is minimal; females are slightly smaller, but plumage is identical across sexes. Juveniles lack the colorful postocular streaks and appear more bronze-toned. The bird’s streamlined body and long tail, carried at an upward angle, enhance its agility on the ground.
Greater Roadrunners are predominantly terrestrial and diurnal, active from sunrise to mid-morning and late afternoon to evening in hot climates, resting in shade during the midday heat. They prefer walking or running at speeds up to 20–26 mph (32–42 km/h), using their long tails as rudders for steering, braking, and balance, and rarely fly except for short distances or to hover briefly. Vocalizations include a descending series of low coos by males, short shrills by females resembling coyote squeals, and chatters during incubation. They communicate via acoustic, visual, tactile, and chemical signals. Thermoregulation is key in arid habitats: they pant to evaporate water, enter nocturnal hypothermia (dropping body temperature from 104°F to 93°F or 40°C to 34°C to save energy), reabsorb moisture from mucous membranes, and excrete salts via nasal glands. Sunbathing involves spreading wings to absorb solar heat through black skin patches, often for hours in cooler weather. They are curious, sometimes approaching humans, and defend territories year-round, with males being more aggressive. In winter, they seek shelter in dense vegetation or among rocks.
As opportunistic omnivores, Greater Roadrunners consume a diet that is about 90% animal matter, supplemented by fruits, seeds, and other plant material. Prey includes insects, spiders (such as black widows and tarantulas), scorpions, centipedes, lizards, snakes (including young rattlesnakes), mice, small birds like hummingbirds and sparrows, eggs, and occasionally larger carrion like bats or rabbits. They hunt by scanning while walking rapidly, then dashing or jumping to capture items, often bashing prey against rocks before swallowing whole. Plant foods, such as prickly pear cactus, provide hydration in water-scarce areas. Their ability to subdue venomous snakes by using cactus pieces or rapid strikes highlights their predatory prowess.
Greater Roadrunners form monogamous pairs that may last for life, breeding from mid-March to early September, with variations based on regional rainfall and food availability. Courtship involves males chasing females, wagging tails, play-fighting, bowing, and offering food like lizards during mating displays, accompanied by whirring or cooing sounds. Pairs defend territories of about 700–800 square meters (7,500–8,600 square feet). Nests, built collaboratively (males gather materials, females construct), are compact platforms of thorny sticks lined with grasses, feathers, snakeskin, or even manure, placed 1–3 meters (3–10 feet) above ground in bushes, cacti, or low trees. Clutches consist of 2–8 white or pale yellow eggs, incubated by both parents for about 20 days, with asynchronous hatching leading to size variations among chicks. Altricial young are fed by both parents, developing rapidly to run and forage at 3 weeks, fledging in 18–21 days, and remaining with parents for up to 40–50 days. Sexual maturity is reached at 2–3 years, and second broods may occur in favorable conditions. Occasionally, they practice brood parasitism, laying eggs in nests of other birds like ravens or mockingbirds.
Greater Roadrunners inhabit arid and semiarid regions with scattered vegetation cover under 50% and heights below 3 meters (10 feet), from elevations of -60 meters (-200 feet) below sea level to 3,000 meters (9,800 feet). Preferred habitats include deserts, dunes, chaparral, scrub forests, arid grasslands, coastal sage scrub, and edges of woodlands, often with open areas for foraging and brush for cover. They are non-migratory and sedentary. Their range spans the Aridoamerica ecoregion, encompassing southwestern U.S. states like California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Missouri, as well as northern Mexican states including Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, and others down to San Luis Potosí. Recent expansions have occurred eastward due to human-altered landscapes and historical adaptations from forested to desert environments.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Cuculiformes |
| Family | Cuculidae |
| Genus | Geococcyx |
| Species | californianus |
The Western Fence Lizard ( Sceloporus occidentalis ) is perhaps one of the most common lizards in the desert southwest and is also known as a “Blue belly”. Perhaps this commonality is the reason for its name. The Western Fence lizard is found in a variety of habitats and common at elevations up to 10,800 feet. They can be located in forests, desert sage, farmlands and grasslands. This species is typically not found in harsh desert climates and moist forests.
This animal is typically between 2 inches and 3.5 inches in length. They are typically black to brown in colors with stripes on their backs. They have blue colored patches on their ventral abdomen. This reptiles will lay clutches of eggs between 3 and 17 eggs in the spring between April and July. The eggs will hatch within two months of feralization.
This animal are known to eat insects including ant, beetles, flies, spiders and some caterpillars. They typically can be found sunning themselves on rocks, fences and paths. The are a prey item for other animals including larger lizards, birds and also some a mammals. As is common with most reptiles, the lizard is known to hibernate in cooler winter months.