This area (Abiquiu, NM) was made famous by the paintings of Georgia O'Keefe. I can understand why she loved it as much as she did. The landscape seems other-worldly, although it was created by the same forces that created other landscapes on our planet.
My photo of Cerro Pedernal
Georgia O'Keefe's Red Hills and Pedernal
It's astonishing the conditions that some plants can tolerate. The trunks of the Junipers on the cliffs of the reservoir are twisted and contorted. The soil they grow in is shallow and the winds on the cliff edges are extremely harsh at times. Most of the year there is little rainfall. The solar radiation is intense. And although this area is desert, the elevation is high enough that the winters bring below freezing temperatures and snow. Yet still they grow.
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| Juniper perched on the edge of the cliff |
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| Another Juniper on the edge | | |
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| Flowers growing on rocks, with roots in crumbled sandstone |
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| Sagebrush growing out of the crack between layers of rock |
Very interesting vegetation!
ReplyDeleteYes, agreed!
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