During my hike from the South Rim to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon I saw many interesting species of desert plants throughout the canyon bottom up to the high plateaus. One that I didn’t know much about was the Utah Agave plant or Agave utahensis.
Agave utahensis is a member of the Agave Family. It has green leaves about a foot long with teeth on the edges and a very sharp point. Leaves grow from a central location to form a beautiful large rosette.
The Utah Agave grows all over the Grand Canyon area. I saw hundreds of them from the South and North Kiabab trails.
The Agave blooms between May - July and produces a towering flower stalk with bright yellow flowers that can grow up to 15 feet in height. Unfortunately we were a little late and missed out on the flowers. It seemed that those who had grown the long stock were dead and dried up. Reading more, I found that after they produce their stock, flowers and seeds, they die. Some of the stocks were pretty impressive. It is also a larval host for the Mojave Giant-Skipper.
During the morning the butterflies perch on the Agave plants and wait for some ladies to find them. Once they mate the females lay eggs on the long spiny leaves that fall to the base of the plant. The caterpillar then crawls to the tip and burrows deep inside where it eats and hibernates through the winter. In the spring the caterpillar makes a burrow in a leaf base feeding on sap until becoming inactive for the summer. Before pupating, the caterpillar enlarges the opening of its burrow and makes a silk trap door from which the adult can emerge.
One of the other major desert plants I saw on the hike was the Prickly Pear Cactus. Some of these got up to 3 ½ to 4 feet tall. Most of them along the trail were void of their spines, probably lost to unsuspecting hikers and runners.
Although somewhat precarious, they are quite edible. This cactus was a food source for Native Americans who inhabited the southwest. The pads, fruits, seeds, and flowers of the prickly pear are all edible. Some early research indicat
es some medical uses for Type II diabetes in rats. The best cure for diabetes is still eating healthy and exercising.
Although I missed out on trying some on this trip, I think that next trip to St. George or Arizona I’m going to have to experiment with some.
Agave utahensis is a member of the Agave Family. It has green leaves about a foot long with teeth on the edges and a very sharp point. Leaves grow from a central location to form a beautiful large rosette.
The Utah Agave grows all over the Grand Canyon area. I saw hundreds of them from the South and North Kiabab trails.The Agave blooms between May - July and produces a towering flower stalk with bright yellow flowers that can grow up to 15 feet in height. Unfortunately we were a little late and missed out on the flowers. It seemed that those who had grown the long stock were dead and dried up. Reading more, I found that after they produce their stock, flowers and seeds, they die. Some of the stocks were pretty impressive. It is also a larval host for the Mojave Giant-Skipper.
During the morning the butterflies perch on the Agave plants and wait for some ladies to find them. Once they mate the females lay eggs on the long spiny leaves that fall to the base of the plant. The caterpillar then crawls to the tip and burrows deep inside where it eats and hibernates through the winter. In the spring the caterpillar makes a burrow in a leaf base feeding on sap until becoming inactive for the summer. Before pupating, the caterpillar enlarges the opening of its burrow and makes a silk trap door from which the adult can emerge.
One of the other major desert plants I saw on the hike was the Prickly Pear Cactus. Some of these got up to 3 ½ to 4 feet tall. Most of them along the trail were void of their spines, probably lost to unsuspecting hikers and runners.Although somewhat precarious, they are quite edible. This cactus was a food source for Native Americans who inhabited the southwest. The pads, fruits, seeds, and flowers of the prickly pear are all edible. Some early research indicat
es some medical uses for Type II diabetes in rats. The best cure for diabetes is still eating healthy and exercising.Although I missed out on trying some on this trip, I think that next trip to St. George or Arizona I’m going to have to experiment with some.
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