Second visit to Bryce Canyon; the first visit we did not quite get beyond the first stop on the road. Since we had one day left in Kanab and we liked Bryce a lot, we decided to go back to explore more of the route through the park. At the final stop, Rainbow Point, there is a trail called Bristlecone Loop. This name could be just a name, but it could also indicate the presence of Bristlecone pines here! This species can grow incredibly old, and reputedly the oldest living individual single plants (so non-clonal) belong to this species. I thus was very interested in finding out whether the name was chosen because of the presence of the plant along it - and indeed I found several specimens! According to the National Park Service the oldest individuals here are up to 1,800 years old. This may not be very impressive for this species, which according to the Oldlist can grow over 5,000 years old; still, I much enjoyed having found these adolescents!
|
