Reaching For The Sky
Co. Tipperary, Ireland
A cold Irish winters evening beckons. The sky was clear and uninterrupted by cloud which made the vibrancy of the colours stand out behind the broken or dead state of the trees.
Showing 21–40 of 95 results
Tapestry of Microbes
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone exudes such vivid colors around the edges of the mineral-rich water in the spring. These are the result of microbial mats which tend to be mainly orange and red in the summer, and usually dark green in the winter. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.
Lower Yellowstone Falls
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Lower Yellowstone Falls is the largest volume waterfall in the Rocky Mountains of the US. The falls are stunningly beautiful and have inspired Native American tribes, fur trappers and explorers alike, and are 308 ft (94 m) high.
This view is from the well known Artist's Point 3 miles downstream. The Falls are located just to the south east of Canyon Village in Yellowstone National Park.
Geyser Burnt Trees
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Bleached remains of trees close to one of Yellowstone famous geysers. It’s not the pine wood beetle that has killed these specimens, but the toxic and ever-present hot conditions from the daily eruptions.
New pine samplings will grow nearby, however, as they age their fate will be the same. It is a saddened beauty that beholds this land.
Reflections of Pride
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
A last stand for the dead trees sitting in shallow water at the Firehole Lake Drive in Yellowstone National Park. They have been killed by a shift in geyser activity.
As the trees mature their root structures search deeper only to be consumed by excess heat and toxicity created by the thermal activity.
Grand Prismatic Microbial Mat
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
The Grand Prismatic Spring microbial mat, which is a multi-layered sheet of microorganisms, surrounds the hot springs showing off its many vivid colors. The intrinsic blue center of the pool (upper right of the photo) is completely sterile due to the extreme heat. The hot spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons (2,100 liters) of 160 °F (70 °C) water per minute.
Artists Paint Pots
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Situated just three miles south of the Norris Geyser Basin is the generally less active Gibbon Geyser Basin. It is here where several collections of thermal features are found, of which Artists Paint Pots are the most popular.
The Paint Pots are a group of over 50 springs, geysers, vents and active mud pots. These exhibit a wild array and shades of blue, grey and brown colors with varying textures. Their behavior changes during the year depending on the amount of subterranean water.
Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
On hiking and climbing to an overlook behind the colorful Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone, one is rewarded with an extraordinary view of this special place. The blue center of the pool is sterile due to the extreme heat produced by the hot spring, while the orange around the edges is microbial mat.
Microbial Mat at Grand Prismatic Spring
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the US and the third largest in the world. The vivid colors around the edges of the mineral-rich water in the spring are the result of microbial mats, while the center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.
The amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids (organic pigments produced by plants and algae), and also on the temperature gradient in the runoff. The mats tend to be mainly orange and red in the summer, and usually dark green in the winter.
Isa Lake Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
In midsummer water lillies cover Isa Lake in Yellowstone National Park.
The lake is situated right on the Continental Divide at Craig Pass between Old Faithful and West Thumb. Geographers call it a drainage divide or boundary between two watersheds, one which flows to the Atlantic Ocean, the other to the Pacific Ocean.
Off the Trail
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
A flash of color while walking from Artists Point on Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls in Yellowstone. This steep trail takes you from the top of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon down to the base of the 308-foot-high Lower Falls.
The walk down 500 feet is fairly strenuous, however, in 1905 Uncle Tom lowered you by rope!
Travertine at Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate at the mouth of the hot spring.
The classic fibrous appearance of the travertine at Mammoth Hot Springs with its array of white, tan, rusty and cream-colors can be seen in this image.
Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
View of part of the Upper Terraces showing the calcium carbonate deposits created after the hot spring water has cooled. Getting about the complex is easy as boardwalks cover nearly 1.75 miles around the Upper and Lower Terraces.
Mammoth Hot Springs are located just south of the North Entrance to Yellowstone, near the town of Gardiner in Montana.
Mammoth Springs, Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Mammoth Hot Springs is a complex of hot springs which has been created over thousands of years in Yellowstone National Park. It is on a hill of travertine – limestone deposited by mineral springs where calcium carbonate is formed as the hot water cools and is then deposited.
This is the top of Palette Spring Terraces which are part of the Upper Terraces, which also include: Opal Terrace, Liberty Cap, Minerva Terrace, Cleopatra Terrace, Jupiter Terrace, Main Terrace and Canary Spring.
Crabtree Falls – In Hurricane Season
Blue Ridge Mountains, Little Switzerland, North Carolina, USA
Crabtree Falls is a 70 ft. cascade located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, north of Asheville and near to Linville Falls. It’s usually a gentle flowing delicate waterfall, however, after a spate of hurricanes in the fall of 2017, the falls were in full flow.
A park ranger informed us that a mother bear and her two cubs are regularly to be seen playing at the base of these falls – sadly not while we visited!
A Cascading Beauty – Whitewater Falls
Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina, USA
Upper Whitewater Falls is located in the western part of the state near the South Carolina and Georgia borders. It’s acclaimed to be the highest waterfall east of the Rockies with a fall of 411 feet. Lower Whitewater Falls in South Carolina’s falls is another 400 feet.
It’s the king of waterfalls in this waterfall-rich area, and easily accessible by a 1/4 mile walkway – and is wheelchair friendly. There is also a platform just 154 steps down from the main viewing point – ideal for photographers!
Dry Falls in North Carolina
Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina, US
Dry Falls is flowing fast after a series of hurricanes and heavy rainfall that hit the area in late 2017. This weather pattern has also caused many leaves to fall earlier than usual, and so the expected vivid fall colours we are familiar with in these mountains is not being displayed.
Rustic Country Barn
Nr. Sapphire, North Carolina, USA
This rustic barn still survives despite natures encroaching advance. Located in the picturesque Sapphire Valley in Transylvania county of western North Carolina, it still stands proud.
The area is known for its numerous and diverse waterfalls, such as:
- Whitewater Falls
- Bridal Veil Falls
- Dry Falls
- Cullasaja Falls
Moore Cove Falls
Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina, USA
This gentle flowing, 50 foot waterfall is located about 6.5 miles on U.S. Highway 276 from the intersection of U.S. Highway 64, which is near Brevard in the western part of North Carolina.
A charming part of this waterfall is the ability to walk behind it and be under a large overhang of rock . Visitors can walk the 3/4 mile (1.2 km) trail to the falls with ease.
Moor Cove Falls is one of the most enchanting of locations that I have had the privilege to photograph.
Land of the Noonday Sun
Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina, US
The word “Nantahala” is a Cherokee word meaning “Land of the Noonday Sun”.
Dry Falls (aka. Upper Cullasaja Falls) is a popular 65-foot (20.1 m) waterfall located 3 miles northwest of Highlands. Dry Falls flows on the Cullasaja River and is part of a series of waterfalls on an 8.7-mile (14 km) stretch of the river that includes Bridal Veil Falls and eventually ends with Cullasaja Falls.
As the river flows over a protruding bluff, and when the waterflow is low, it is possible to walk safely behind the waterfall and keep fairly dry.