Lab 7

I chose to do my lab report this week on the Colorado Plateau, also called Colorado Plateaus (Encyclopedia Britannica). I chose this area because it is appealing to me and I plan on visiting in the near future. The Colorado Plateau is a physiographic "province," a region geologically and topographically distinct from other parts of the West. Originally named the "Colorado Plateaus" by explorer John Wesley Powell, the "Plateau" is in fact a huge basin ringed by highlands and filled with plateaus. Sprawling across southeastern Utah, northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and western Colorado, the Colorado Plateau province covers a land area of 130,000 square miles.(Wheeler). This area is wide spread and covers much area in the southern region.


The species I chose for this is The rare Winkler cactus (Pediocactus winkler)as I read that it is a threatened species throughout the area (Neese).It is a beautiful species that is part of the cacti family. Only four populations of this small perennial, globe-shaped succulent with pink flowers and short spines have been found on the Colorado Plateau in south-central Utah, mostly on federal lands) (Neese).

                                                              

                                                                  












 Work Cited

 

Barneby. “Plant Guide.” Winkler’s Pincushion Cactus Pediocactus winkler. USDA NRCS Idaho and Utah Plant Materials Program. n.d. Web. 06 July 2014. <http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_pewi2.pdf>

n.p. “Colorado Plateau.” Encycclopaedia Britannica.n.d. Web. 06 July 2014. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/126471/Colorado-Plateau

Google Maps. Web. 06 July 2014.

“Known Distribution Winkler Pincushion Cactus.”  Utah Devision of Wildlife Resources. Photograph. Web. 06 July 2014. <http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/search/Map.asp?Id=98>

Neese, Elizabeth. “Winkler Pincushion Cactus.”  State of Utah Natural Resources. Photograph. Web. 7 July 2014. <http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/search/Display.asp?FlNm=pediwink>

Wheeler, Ray. “The Colorado Plateau Region.” Land Use History of North America Colorado Plateau. n.d. Web. 06 July 2014. <http://cpluhna.nau.edu/Places/places.htm>