In the harsh arid deserts of southeastern Utah, plants and animals must be strong to survive. The adaptations necessary for most plants to live here do not afford the luxury of bright coloration. Wildflowers with lovely shades of red, purple, orange and other hue variations are incredible and wonderful to behold while residents and visitors are exploring our stark landscapes. You can learn more about the region’s wildflowers on Thursday, April 20, at 6 p.m. at the Moab Information Center when Joel Tuhy gives a free lecture titled “Rare and Interesting Wildflowers of the Moab Area.”
Tuhy’s presentation is sponsored by the Museum of Moab and the Canyonlands Natural History Association.
Tuhy, the director of conservation science for The Nature Conservancy in Utah, is giving the lecture as a botanist and wildflower enthusiast, and his presentation will not be related to his role at The Nature Conservancy.
Tuhy encourages all to attend, saying that plants can grow on you if you give them a chance.
“Would it interest you to know that one of the signature plants of the Colorado Plateau lives to ages of 400 years or more?” he asked. “Or that some of the prettiest plants of our region grow in harshest, most inhospitable conditions … or that tucked away in obscure, unremarkable places within a stone’s throw of highways and houses are plants found nowhere else in the world?”
This lecture, focused on rare wildflowers in the Moab area, will be the 12th lecture in a series of yearly presentations given by Tuhy.
“All of the presentations have been focused on some aspect of local plants for two reasons … that are revealed in the opening moments of the show,” he said.
Wildland Scapes native plant nursery founder Kara Dohrenwend said she thinks that the area’s vistas are so commanding that most people miss the diversity and intensity of the plant life here.
“The local flora plays a big part in what makes this area unique and beautiful,” Dohrenwend said. “The local plants are the basis for pollinators, other insects, small mammals and other plants.”
Wouldn’t you like to be able to know what the beautiful orange bell-shaped flowers are called? Or why you can find wildflowers here that only exist in a few spots on the globe?
Tuhy said, “The pursuit of plants can lead one to other concepts such as water, time, history, antiquity – even animals, for crying out loud!”
Tuhy has spent more than 35 years studying the diverse plant species of the Colorado Plateau. He has collected more than 4,000 plant specimens during his career. He said he has been “seeking clusters of rare plants, remnants of the pre-settlement landscape, and other areas of biotic significance.”
Unlike animals, weather patterns and water systems, which all move very quickly, plant life stays still long enough for botanists like Tuhy to study their intricate nature.
“For botanists, the pursuit of interesting plants is kind of like the work done by prospectors, who follow subtle cues among the rocks in search of the mineral wealth that will make them rich,” he said.
Unlike prospecting, you don’t need luck and a lot of equipment to learn more about local flora. Anyone who has a guidebook and a set of hiking boots can be an amateur botanist.
“There are several great local (guidebooks) now available at Back of Beyond – grab a book and start looking,” Dohrenwend said.
Perhaps the best way to start your foray into the world of local flora would be to attend Tuhy’s presentation.
“I hope this sense of understanding will lead all of us to visit, occupy and enjoy our magnificent part of the world without abusing and degrading its features: the plants and the surroundings to which they are attached,” Tuhy said.
So, leave only footprints while out looking for wildflowers, and on your way to the Moab Information Center on April 20.
Joel Tuhy to discuss unique wildflowers at MIC on April 20
“Would it interest you to know that one of the signature plants of the Colorado Plateau lives to ages of 400 years or more … or that some of the prettiest plants of our region grow in harshest, most inhospitable conditions … or that tucked away in obscure, unremarkable places within a stone’s throw of highways and houses are plants found nowhere else in the world?”
When: Thursday, April 20, at 6 p.m.
Where: Moab Information Center, corner of Main and Center streets
Cost: Free
Information: www.cnha.org/news-blogs-and-lectures/cat/mic-lectures/post/rare-or-interesting-wildflowers/
For more information, go to: www.cnha.org/news-blogs-and-lectures/cat/mic-lectures/post/rare-or-interesting-wildflowers/.
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