Thursday, October 29, 2009

Sky Watch Friday: Yellowstone

One thing that I found interesting on my first trip to Yellowstone was the fact that they do not remove trees that are destroyed during forest fires. This is actually a good thing, as everything in nature has a purpose and it is not always good when we decide to interfere, but this is not the policy at many parks. The dead trees make for a nice picture when contrasted against the blue sky. These pictures where taken on our way out to the east entrance but burned out trees can be found in many areas through out the park. .
Currently there is another fire in Yellowstone which occupies about 10,700 acres on the east side of the park and has forced the closure of the Main Loop road between the West Thumb Geyser Basin and the Fishing Bridge. The fire began with a lightning strike on September 13 and has been spreading since. Snow fall in the area yesterday has help and firefighters anticipate having the fire contained by tomorrow.

22 comments:

Sylvia K said...

Terrific shots! And I, too, think the dead trees look great against those beautiful blue skies! Wonder if we'll ever learn to stop interfering with nature????? Thanks for a great post and great photos -- as always!

Enjoy your weekend1

Sylvia

James said...

These are great. I love seeing pictures of Yellowstone.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Very interesting. Large swaths of the park have dead trees. I support leaving them. I understand that they are a hazard to hikers and campers.

Very pretty picture.

Pearl Maple said...

Great post, the trees do make for a interesting effect across the blue sky. Yellowstone is such an amazing place, thank you for sharing.

Carver said...

Beautiful shots. I like the way barren trees look.

marcia@joyismygoal said...

Love the perspective on the first one esp and the color

Carol said...

Great images....starkly beautiful...

Eaglesbrother said...

Great Photographs..and yes I agree on leaving the burnt trees there..they will help hold the soil till new growth comes.


Eaglesbrother

Daryl said...

What a nice gift, to share your visit to Yellowstone ..

Judy said...

We have some trees like those in your first image - only they are a result of flooding rather than fire! Incredible shots!!

Coffeedoff said...

Great shots, but so sad to see all the dead trees. I hope the area recovers soon!

Rune said...

Wonderful photo with beautiful colors.

Dagrun said...

I like these shots a lot. Simple composition. Dead threes makes a great foreground.

Helen said...

Great shots especially of the big hardwood tree. It's a shame that fire destroys so many trees. That is a long time for a fire to burn. Helen

Eric said...

Love them both, great compositions, well done!!!

Happy SWF.

eileeninmd said...

Great shots, I like the dead trees too. Great skywatch.

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

Cool about the trees. Amazing how nature works itself out. Nice shots.

rhoen said...

lovely shot for skywatch friday!

happy skywatching!

PJ said...

I'm surprised to hear about the fire, that's news to me. I am aware that fires help renew certain plants that can't sprout unless the seeds are roasted, etc. The dead trees also help to cut down on the spread of diseases and provide homes for certain birds. The photographs are wonderful. Have a good weekend.

Kathie Brown said...

Wonderful vertical elements in that first pic. Like sewing needles pointing to the sky. Thanks for making the point about the usefulness of the dead trees. It is all part of the cycle and the trees have their own beauty and their own story to tell.

Tammie Lee said...

I was there when the fire began, sure changed the blue sky to smokey. We have many dead trees in NW Montana as well, they stay until they fall. Lovely barren images.
Spirithelpers

ahmed said...

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