Repeat photos from long-term monitoring plots of biological soil crusts in an ungrazed grassland of southeastern Utah

This data release contains a timeseries (2004-2025) of photographs from five permanent locations (Stops 1-5, roughly 11x15 centimeters) established to observe biological soil crusts (BSC, a collection of species of lichens, cyanobacteria, and bryophytes). The five locations were randomly located within a larger study area established to monitor vegetation and biological soil crusts as described in Finger-Higgens et al. (2022). Stops are between 10 and 60 meters apart. These data were collected in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah by the U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Research Center in coordination with the US National Park Service. Photographs were collected twice annually, once in the Spring (April-May) and once in fall (Sept.). These data can be used to visually observe changes in biological soil crusts in an ungrazed grassland on the Colorado Plateau and help with understanding monitoring trends in these dryland ecosystems.