Additional Observations
Rubber Rabbitbrush is probably one of my favorite plants around the southern Utah area. They are very bright and vibrant, they smell kind of like flowers, and they are very nice to just rub your hand on. It survives on very little water, making me assume there is some sort of water storage. I've seen quite a few hanging off ledges, in ditches, and sometimes just sitting in the middle of nowhere. They are usually hanging around a wide variety of other plants as well. Overall a very lovely plant.
The Coastal Prickly Pear really makes southern Utah feel like a desert. These things are absolutely everywhere, and they don't look ugly by any sense of the word. I always find cactus at least a little interesting to look at, but do not touch it, that hurts. Interestingly enough, I always find these hiding in the shade of trees. Like most cacti, it finds a way to survive without much water. A great thing to find in a desert atmosphere. Mostly found in flat areas.
The Common Dandelion is found almost everywhere. Mostly riddled around every grass patch. I don't see many of these not sharing spots with the grasses. They smell pretty nice, like most flowers do, feel really soft, and are very bright and easy to notice. I've only really seen these in places that regularly get water through sprinklers and such. Very common in flat areas with turf or artificial grass.
The Genus Leptoglossus (no common name) is one of the rarer bugs I find now. They used to be riddled all over my house, then we moved. Anyways, they are very hard to observe without getting too bored because they move slowly and rarely without outside force. They do make a very distinct sound when flying around, much different than house flies and bees. They have a particular stench when you kill them, so I would recommend not to. They seem to disappear during winter and stick around during the hot summers. Very interesting insect overall.
