Photo by Sally King Stop 6: Frijoles Creek begins in springs on the rim of the Valles Caldera some 4000’ above this location. Melting winter snow and rain from afternoon thunderstorms adds to the flow. The creek usually flows year-round in this area but it is not unusual in recent years for it to run dry in summer from above the visitor center down. Due to the availability of water, flora and fauna here is varied and bountiful. Riparian areas boast some of the highest diversity of wildlife in the park. Ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) stand tall and straight, their long needles held in bundles of three. Put your nose to the orange-brown bark on a warm day and the faint smell of vanilla will waft your way. These majestic trees would have dominated not only the canyon but also, the adjacent mesas during the last Ice Age. As temperatures warmed the supremacy of the ponderosas has moved ever upward with only creekside groves and small thickets of trees on the mesas remaining. This trend is expected to continue.
|
Last updated: January 16, 2022