Semi-desert, foothills, lower montane. Shrublands, sand, woodlands. Summer, fall.
Murphy Trail, Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, September 27, 2005.

Eriogonum cernuum is a delicate, many-flowered plant of open sandy grasslands and lower montane forests.  It is widespread throughout the West and can be abundant, coloring the land with a maroon tinge, as it did in the open meadows along the Murphy Trail where this picture was taken.  Stem leaves are usually lacking and the round, very hairy, basal leaves are dried, but present, at flowering.  When you find this plant be sure to take a look at the leaves with a hand lens.

Thomas Nuttall named this plant in 1848.  "Cernu" is Latin for "nodding".  

Semi-desert, foothills, lower montane. Shrublands, sand, woodlands. Summer, fall.
Murphy Trail, Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, September 27, 2005.