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Monday in Nature June 20, 2016


Laura Weishaupt

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<p><strong>Basic Guidelines</strong>: Nature based subject matter. Please, declare captive subjects. Keep your image at/under 700 pixels on the long axis for in-line viewing and try to keep file size under 300kb. Note that this includes photos hosted off-site at Flicker, Photobucket, your own site, etc. Feel free to link your image to a larger version. <strong><em>In the strictest sense, nature photography should not include hand of man elements. Please refrain from images with obvious buildings or large man made structures like roads, fences, walls. Minimize man made features and keep the focus on nature. </em></strong><br>

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<strong><em>Are you new to this thread? We post one image per week. For more details on guidelines please <a href="/nature-photography-forum/00cgtY">read this</a> helpful information. </em></strong></p>

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<p>Greetings,<br>

Grab your coffee and lets go for a ride in the way back machine. We don't need to go far, only to the late 20th century. You won't look out of place in your clothes and those of you familiar with film will be right at home. In the year long salute to U.S. national parks, lets visit one of the grandest, and the first. Let's go to Yellowstone.</p>

<p>But what year to visit? We all want to see grand vistas in a pristine condition. Regardless of the season, the place captures the imagination.. Everything about it seems to exist on a grand scale. Big vistas, big animals, a rich history, long roads to get there, and often huge crowds once we arrive. We've saved for a long time to be in this place. People travel from around the globe to experience the wonders here. Has anyone ever been disappointed?</p>

<p>Let's set the way back machine to 1988. That year the park changed and all that anyone could see would be altered. Nature ran it's course and had its way in the conifer forests of the Rocky Mountains. 1988 was a year of fire in Yellowstone and much of the park went up in flames. It started in June, involved natural and man made fires, and didn't end until September with rain and snow.</p>

<p>It wasn't just one fire, but many that eventually joined together. Conditions were ripe and winds drove the fire through the landscape. In the end, 1.2 million acres burned in the region. Of that, 793,880 acres burned in the park, about 36% of the total acreage, according to the park service. The following year record numbers of visitors returned, and brought their cameras. The scientists came to study and watch as nature went about the business of renewal in an ever changing landscape where fire is necessary.</p>

<p>Jump forward a few years to 1994. I wasn't much of a photographer, but I had a cool job as the field cook for a university ecology class in Yellowstone. For a week I drove my truck/ chuck wagon around the park and met up with the class. Otherwise, my trusty Nikon EM was a good companion, even thought I didn't know much about using it. The opener this week is a different view of Yellowstone, a view of charred woodlands and patches of green. The image is 8 scanned color film negatives stitched together, but otherwise untouched. Yes, I stood there and thought "this will work, snap, snap, snap". A bigger version is <a href="/photo/18248608&size=lg">here</a>.</p>

<p>On this solstice lets celebrate the changes that nature brings about, in it's own way, on its own terms, at it's own pace. Happy Monday in Nature.</p><div>00e0em-563803584.jpg.24cf3db99ea6e467753d530ee755867e.jpg</div>

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<p>Not so dramatic, but still restoration. Most of our woodlands are in a very poor state, notably due to overgrazing, so they have poor regeneration and little good understorey. We're lucky in having a small wood very near our house with a sustained history of no grazing - so it's in good condition, there is abundant regeneration, and it supports wonderful ferns....like this <em>Dryopteris</em></p><div>00e0f6-563804284.jpg.6f52a728e950c5789409130250ce89be.jpg</div>
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<p>Edwin's lovely photo of anti-crepuscular rays from last week inspired me to dig up this image from a few years back, of the only time I have ever seen this phenomenon. I had my tripod set up facing east waiting for the sunrise when I turned around to catch this view. The tripod and I did a 180 degree rotation and this is the photo I got. The effect was short lived and was gone before I finished my coffee.</p><div>00e0fY-563805584.jpg.6452b6d5efcf937a9069e2fe5ce6c8c1.jpg</div>
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<p>Edwin,<br>

I always want to return to Yellowstone. I've only been there twice. I'd love to return to that location with more appropriate gear and better skills for the task. Unfortunately, I don't know just where this was taken. If anyone familiar with the park recognizes the profile, I'd love to hear. I have distinct recollection of taking photos in an area with a "Scorched Earth" sign. These negatives are next in line on the strips. That is apparently between Mammoth and Tower, so it might be near there. </p>

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<p>Alpine Avens from the Austrian/Italian border. I finally got around (2 years late) to tentatively identifying (at least to the genus) everything from that trip - anyone is welcome to offer any corrections!</p><div>00e0gg-563807584.jpg.8384ed3e3345a86e2ca7ecd6a56994f7.jpg</div>
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<p>In my brief visit some ten years ago, I was delightfully in awe of Yellowstone's vast, colorful landscape of unique natural phenomena. I tried some panorama as well as limited scopes of abstract designs from the enormity. Here is a snippet of the Mammoth Hot Springs.</p><div>00e0hr-563809584.jpg.ce4147c01387ee0362778c78607a0be4.jpg</div>
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<p>I have been to Yellowstone only twice also, first when I was in college and then in 1993 with my wife. I recall that back in 1988, my sister in law took her then 13-year-old daughter to Yellowstone, and they saw some of the fire. By 1994, signs of the big fire from a few years earlier were still very visible, e.g. large charred areas.</p>

<p>It probably looks different now. Hopefully I'll get to return with a digital camera some day.</p>

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