The Grand CanyonNoelle Rosellini GEOSC10

A Change of Heart

Personally, when I was informed that my family was visiting the Grand Canyon, I was less than excited. I had never really thought much of rock formations, geology, or natural beauty and it didn’t really strike me as a must-see on my summer vacation. Sure, it’s one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, but how wonderful could it actually be?

As it would turn out…pretty wonderful.

Who would have thought?

A picture of the lovely Canyon (which is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom due to the river cutting down and the rocks above becoming unstable and falling or being weathered away.)

It was a surprise to me that plant life

was supported by the rocks, but there

was greenery all over the place.

There are approximately 650 herbaceous wildflowers in Grand Canyon National

Park.

This flower appears to be the Apache Plume

There were many Apache Plumes all over the parts of the canyon we visited

This beautiful flower is the Globe Mallow, one of my favorites that we saw.

In addition to plants, the Canyon is home to many animals including 56 reptile and amphibian species. I caught this picture of a lizard sunbathing.

A great view! There were so many colors in the canyon due to differing rock compositions.

The view was so picturesque it was hard to believe it was real!

All of the shapes that the rocks took on and the small rifts and patterns were truly fascinating!

A view looking out across the canyon…

A Grand Canyon, Indeed.As it turns out, I didn’t want to leave the canyon at all! It was

amazing! It was so incredibly vast, everything around it seemed unbelievably tiny. The vibrant colors and wildlife were a pleasant surprise and the pictures don’t even come close to doing it all justice. Theodore Roosevelt once called the Grand Canyon, “the one great sight which every American should see.” Well, Teddy, I couldn’t agree more. It was a memorable day that I certainly will not forget!

Brief bibliographyHere is where I got some of my fun facts!

"Wildflowers." National Parks Service. US Dept. of the Interior, 17 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. <http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/wildflowers.htm>.

"Animals." National Parks Service. US Dept. of the Interior, 17 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. <http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/animals.htm>.

"Grand Canyon National Park." PBS. National Parks Film Project, PBS, 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/parks/grand-canyon/>.