Flora & Fauna
My guess is that it is the state tree of Arizona, Cercidium floridum, commonly known as Palo Verde (green stick) Retama, Jerusalem Thorn (a corruption of Girasol-turns toward the sun) and Lluvia de Oro (golden rain). The green stems and bark of Palo Verde make it easy to identify but more importantly allow it to survive in harsh desert environments. Palo Verde trees are drought deciduous and thus shed their leaves during extended dry spells. When no leaves are present the tree's green stems and branches carry on the essential energy-producing process of photosynthesis. The leaves of Palo Verde are so small that even during the short periods (mid July to late November) when they are present they still need assistance with photosynthesis. As Palo Verde trees age, the bases of their trunks trunks turn from green to a very distinct grey. Residents of the Arizona and the southwest in sprawling Sonoran Desert know the yellow flowers of the Palo Verde tree as harbinger of Spring in the region.
All three are great towns, rich in their own way and certainly good jumping-off points for the parks. Leave some time to explore the towns themselves on your journey as they are a vital part of the park experience. The Utah office of Tourism has a fantastic site (http://travel.utah.gov/) that should help you answer all of your questions about the areas you're interested in.
Have a fun trip, and let us know at OhRanger.com which towns (and parks of course!) you liked the best!
It's hard to get a completely firm answer to this question, because people have been successful planting in many different conditions. Certainly you don't need to start with thousands of seeds, and one can do it. The Giant Sequoia is one of the largest plant species in the world and is an extremely hearty tree so if you have the space to consider it, you're probably better prepared than you think. In fact, a seedling (from one or many seeds) should be able to live in any temperature extreme from 110 degrees to -30 degrees once it's 5-6 years old.
This site seems to be one of the best resources for learning more about successful growing of the trees:
http://www.gardeningtipsnideas.com/2006/04/planting_a_giant_redwood_sequoia_tree.html
Good luck!
I hope you have an exciting time exploring Illinois' caves. Be sure to check back in at OhRanger.com after you trip to share you park experiences with us!
