Fendler Rose (Rosa fendleri) was spotted growing along the General Crook Trail.
Closeup of Fendler Rose (Rosa fendleri).
Spider eating its prey on a Fendler Rose.
As this ponderosa grew over the years it has lifted up a huge rock slab several feet off the forest floor.
Fern frond.
Closeup of a leaflet or pinna of the fern.
Among the ferns.
A group of ferns among the ponderosa pines along the General Crook Trail.
Ferns in the ponderosa forest.
Among the ferns.
We join up with the Rim Lakes Vista Trail for the hike back along the edge Mogollon Rim.
Closeup of a bright red blossom of an Arizona Thistle (Cirsium arizonicum).
Unlike most thistles the flower heads of the Arizona Thistle (Cirsium arizonicum) are narrow and pointed sideways.
A dead log lies among the boulders at the edge of the Mogollon Rim.
Forests and hills stretch out to the horizon in this view from the Rim Lakes Vista Trail.
A juniper clings to the rocks at the edge of the Mogollon Rim.
Interesting overhanging rock along the cliffs atop the Mogollon Rim.
The cliff is formed of layers of lichen covered rock.
Interesting overhanging and layered rocks along the cliffs atop the Mogollon Rim.
A view along the cliffs of the Mogollon Rim from the Rim Lakes Vista Trail.
A balanced rock atop a layered pedestal at the edge of the cliff. Highway 260 winds its way eastward in the background.
A closer view of the balanced rock on a layered pedestal.
A Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) stands tall at the very edge of the Mogollon Rim.
A westerly view along the cliffs.
Interesting patterns in a rock slab atop the rim.
Scarlet Penstemon or Golden-Beard Penstemon (Penstemon barbatus) along the Rim Lakes Vista Trail.
Scarlet Penstemon or Golden-Beard Penstemon (Penstemon barbatus) along the Rim Lakes Vista Trail.
A view to the southwest from the rocky cliffs of the Mogollon Rim.
This old Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana) stands watch over the Mogollon Rim.
Although somewhat pruned back the trunk of this Alligator Juniper still has a lot of character.
The Rim Lakes Vista Trail crossed a clearing that was thick with Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), most with last season's seed stalks.
We took a short side trip down into Military Sinkhole where we found a small group of Rocky Mountain Iris (Iris missouriensis).
One of the last views from the rim. From here the Rim Lakes Vista Trail slowly backs away from the rim and back to the trailhead.
New Mexico Locust (Robinia neomexicana) grows in tall dense thickets on the eastern part of the Rim Lakes Vista Trail. According to Anne Epple in her book A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona, the flowers were eaten raw by Native Americans, however the seeds, bark and roots are poisonous to humans.