Desert paintbrush. Credit: Andrey Zharkikh
by Ashley Davidson, Communications Director
A little-known gem in southeastern Utah, Johnson Lakes Canyon is an 840-acre island of private land owned by Susie and Rick Knezevich, surrounded on all sides by Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Unlike the monument around it, where 96.4 percent of the desert landscape is grazed by cattle, the Knezeviches don't run cows on their land. Instead, they've partnered with the Grand Canyon Trust's volunteer program to restore Johnson Lakes Canyon.
In May 2016, they invited 18 scientists to a "bioblitz," a three-day scavenger hunt to catalogue some of the birds, plants, and animals that are flourishing on their ungrazed land. In just 72 hours, the team documented 60 species of birds, hundreds of species of insects, and 265 species of plants, a small fraction of the total number of species that call the canyon home, but nonetheless a colorful snapshot of this vibrant land — ungrazed since 2009 — and a heartening lesson in recovery.
Don't let their names fool you. From the prairie spiderwort to the hairy false golden aster, here are some of the most eye-catching blooms botanists found on display in Johnson Lakes Canyon.
1. Scarlet hedgehog cactus
Scarlet hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus coccineus var. coccineus), Cactus family (Cactaceae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
2. Bristle flax
Bristle flax (Linum aristatum), Flax family (Linaceae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
3. Hairy false golden aster
Hairy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa var. minor syn. Chrysopsis villosa var. hispida), Aster family (Asteraceae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
4. American speedwell
American speedwell (Veronica americana), Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
5. Desert mountain phlox
Desert mountain phlox (Phlox austromontana), Phlox family (Polemoniaceae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
6. Kidneyshape buckwheat
Kidneyshape buckwheat (Eriogonum subreniforme), Buckwheat family (Polygonaceae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
7. Prairie spiderwort
Prairie spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis var. occidentalis), Spiderwort Family (Commelinaceae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
8. Grayball sage, purple sage
Grayball sage, purple sage (Salvia dorrii), Mint family (Lamiaceae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
9. Sego lily
Sego lily (Calochortus nuttallii), Lily family (Liliaceae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
Though they didn't catalogue them as part of the bioblitz, scientists met plenty of beasts during their three days in Johnson Lakes Canyon. From the angry Great Basin gopher snake they chased out from under the shade of a truck to prevent accidental squashing, to this bumpy fellow below, they found ample evidence to suggest that letting land recover from grazing provides vital habitat to a host of creatures, large and small.
10. American Toad
American toad (Anaxyrus americanus), True toads family (Bufonidae). ANDREY ZHARKIKH
