Retreating glaciers left behind pieces of the distant mountains where they originated. These boulders near Junction Butte in Yellowstone become shelter for seedlings and a source of extra water as snowmelt and rain runs off the surface. They are sometimes referred to as “nursery rocks” since they help the young trees grow!

108mm FF equivalent

From my Icelandic expeditions

Sustenance

It takes me a very long time to make any linear progress while out wandering in the woods. Step, step, stop. I glance at the stream and see that the recent windstorm has knocked down several new trees here. Step. Step, step, stop. I hear a the unmistakable song of an American Dipper. They blend in so well with their slate gray plumage among all the gray stones protruding from the stream. Ah, there it is on the far side, just singing its little heart out. My lens isn’t long enough to make a good image, so I step, step, stop again. Here is a place where in 2020,  I had been kneeing in the river, photographing ice formations. I now have a tripod with sealed legs, but the one I had used that day had filled with water and then as I walked away, the water poured all over my camera. It stopped working for several heartbreaking days, but came back to life and still produces beautiful images. One of the fallen trees has now made this composition less than desirable. Step, step, stop. I glance around to make sure that no-one I should be aware of is watching me. I do this often as my attention is easily distracted by beauty, and there could be creatures here that I should be aware of! The coast seems clear so I put together a series of 10 or so steps this time. My sauntering has led me down a winding path surrounded by young Douglas Fir Trees. Whoa, back the truck up, what was that off to the left? This time step, step, step backwards! Look at that. There, across the river, are several little trees growing out of a fallen tree trunk. The mass of the tree has long since decayed and floated down stream. The more dense base and root cluster remains and is covered with bright green mosses and lichens. In the typical style of the natural world, the decaying remains of one life form give sustenance to another. I stood here for 45 minutes watching the light, listening to the Dippers, absorbing sustenance and marveling at my good fortune to be able to do this on a work day and just 30 minutes from my house. 

~94mm FF equivalent