8 January 2016 - The Rich Terrain of Winter

I am wild about the landscape of Utah. There are so many different terrains and they are gorgeous no matter what season it is. I have met people who detest some of this land, especially parts around the Great Salt Lake claiming it is bleak, gray and boring. (Insert interobang here!) I imagine these are the very same people that find driving I-80 across Iowa and Nebraska just as bland. I would that they could only open their eyes and see the splendor in front of them. 

My sister, mother, grandmother and aunt were artists, and my grandmother and sister often worked in watercolors so I tend to think in terms of palettes. Here are some examples of Utah in November, a season when people often complain about lack of color and how drab the drive is along the lake on I-80. 

Really look at these. Imagine that you have to create a stripe down the side of each photo with all the colors you see in order from light to dark.  Each one would have at least five and perhaps as many as twenty shades of yellow varying from a whitish straw hue to deep gold. Then there are oranges, reds, blues, greens and browns. In this format the small photos do not do justice to the landscape. It is breathtaking. The subtle variations of color are magical and mysterious changing with the whims of light and breezes. When you are standing right on top of this, there are even more colors that begin to pop out at you. 

I cannot understand how anyone could find this bleak or boring. 

Many bushes around streams sport bright colors of bark that light up the fall and winter landscape.

Another perk of stopping to admire the landscape is you get an opportunity to appreciate protective coloring. This coyote blends right into the surrounding vegetation. I didn't see him until he turned his head and that black nose visually popped out of the brush. 

I would like to tell the world to slow down. Everyone is in such a hurry to get where they are going, not to mention being so connected to their phones, earbuds and other technology that they do not see the beauty that surrounds them. Stop. Look. Listen. 

Look. The terrain may seem desolate and empty but even a quick look reveals it is full of life. Coyotes, jackrabbits and pronghorn antelope frequent these areas. 

Northern harriers glide over the tops of the phragmites looking for small mammals, birds and reptiles.  Sometimes they fly so close to the vegetation on the marshes that their wings brush the seed heads on the reeds and grasses. There is a great phrase that describes their hunting method: foraging on the wing. 

Surprises abound. A quick glance at the side of the road may show you nothing but dried up foothills. 

A longer look reveals a herd of sheep is moving through the range with the help of a shepherd and his dogs. 

If you pay attention you could find a flock of wild turkeys scratching for food under the sage brush.

You might see a bald eagle fly over some open water. This causes panic among the sitting waterfowl and yields views of ducks you could not even see until they rise in mass. 

The bare trees make it easy to spot owls, hawks, eagles and the occasional porcupine. 

Here is a juvenile bald eagle on the left with an adult on the right. Had the trees been leafed out, they would have been hidden. But first you need to look. 

Listen. There is music when a breeze sweeps over the winter-browned grasses. Grassy seed heads make a swishing sound. 

The stiffer stalks such as these rustle and sometimes rattle in the wind. 

Dry leaves scrape over pavement sounding much like the soft scrabble of little mouse feet. 

Birds don't sing this time of year, but they emit soft chirps to each other. With a little practice you can distinguish the finches from the sparrows from the chickadees and more. 

It is a big glorious world out there--all the time. Go forth and see things!