Welcome. My name is Juliet, and I'm proud to be a park ranger here at Zion National Park. Today we're going to be exploring some of the distinct plant and animal communities found throughout the park. Among the soaring cliffs of Zion, you can discover unique scenery as the landscape transitions from barren shrublands to tall forests. Here at the bottom of the canyon, the Virgin River feeds a wide variety of water loving plants, including the Fremont cottonwood. This wealth of moisture creates a lush green canyon floor, which provides shade and home for many of the park's animals. If you walk along the water's edge, you can see a complexity of native fish, frogs, and even waterfowl. If you look upward away from the river, the habitat changes drastically. In these drier regions, you can find Utah juniper and pinyon pine, as well as many low lying shrubs. In this habitat, you can find lizards, birds, and at night, perhaps a kangaroo rat hopping along. If you continue to climb, you will find yourself surrounded by tall ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. These tall coniferous forests provide shelter for some of the park's larger animals, such as elk, desert bighorn sheep, and even mountain lion. These individual habitats blend together, forming a mosaic of beauty found here at Zion National Park. So whether you're looking up from the canyon’s floor or down from the canyon's rim, you're sure to find a breathtaking view.