Nature

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 9

Jeff

Tenaya Lake

“Just off of State Route 120, Tenaya Lake creates postcard pictures from many Yosemite vantage points.”

Tanaya Lake was named after a Native American Indian chief who was later forced to flee the area. Unlike this episode in history, the lake often appears very serene and peaceful. This is perhaps one of the most scenic of the lakes in Yosemite!

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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Meta Data – Day 9 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Capture time: 10:15:37 AM
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Nikon D3300

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 7

Jeff

A butterfly and other insects enjoy the thistle

“A variety of insects joined this butterfly to enjoy the thistle.”

Of course whenever one visits parks and wooded areas, there is always hope of seeing native wildlife. We came across an open meadow on the Valley Loop Trail, not too far from the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, and this thistle was being worked over by a variety of insects. To the left of the butterfly, a large insect is coming in for a landing.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 6

Jeff

Across from El Capitan, Sentinel Rock watches over the valley

Sentinel Rock

As we were hiking along the Valley Loop Trail, rock formations could be seen from nearly every vantage point. Each was beautiful and breathtaking in its own right and Sentinel Rock, pictured above, was no exception.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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Meta Data – Day 6 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 2

Jeff

Yosemite Falls as seen near ths start of the Valley Loop Trail

“Yosemite Falls as seen near the start of the Valley Loop Trail – Early Morning”

We happened to visit Yosemite during one of the better years for water displays. The waterfalls, and there are quite a few, were flowing strongly as were the rivers and rivulets.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous YOY – Year of Yosemite posts HERE. To read the introduction to the YOY series, that can be found HERE.

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 1

Jeff

Introduction to YOY

I don’t have much of a bucket list, but there are a few things I would like to do and see while I still have the opportunity. My wife and I like to hike. Well, let’s change that..we like to explore and see things which often involves hiking. Hiking isn’t our goal. Enjoying nature and discovering the earth’s beauty is our goal.

An additional interest for me, as we wander and wonder, is photography. I am an opportunistic photographer. I try to discover interesting, scenic and beautiful things as part of my exploratory process. I must confess that I don’t usually get up at the crack of dawn or remain on the photographic quest until the evening golden or blue hours.

What I enjoy about my photography is the search for a compelling scene under whatever conditions I might find myself facing. All of this is a round about way of saying that we finally made it to Yosemite National Park even though that isn’t it’s real name anymore since the renaming fiasco related to a contract dispute with Delaware North and the new managing company Yosemite Hospitality, LLC, but lets not go there; at least not at this point.

I would like to share a year of pictures that we took during our visit to Yosemite. I will try not to repeat any of the photographs, but keep in mind that I did take many, many photographs of the iconic areas of Yosemite (National Park) You may think you have seen a particular picture before, but I will include reference information just to be on the “up and up!” I will TRY not to repeat any pictures so dear readers you can keep me on my toes.

TECHNICAL NOTE (added June 26, 2016) – While I generally use the RAW photography format for initial capture of a scene, pictures are converted to JPEG/JPG for purposes of posting. File names provided in the Meta Data below each photograph are those of the original image before being converted to JPG format. Some shots were taken in the JPEG format initially and will be so noted.

YOY – Day 1

Yosemite National Park Sign, El Portal, CA
“Yosemite National Park Sign, El Portal, CA – Route 140”


This picture was taken on one of the few overcast days we had during our week-long stay in an around Yosemite National Park.

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Nikon D3300

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See All (YOY) – Year of Yosemite posts thus farHERE

Video – The Yin and the Yang of Nature’s Struggle

Jeff

“In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (also yin-yang or yin yang, 陰陽 yīnyáng “dark—bright”) describes how opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.”

Via 

From Near Birth to Death – The Struggle in Nature


 
See previous Nature entries HERE

Or Additional Vide-Ohs HERE

Video – Releasing a Large Cougar from a Trap

Jeff

I can remember when I was a youngster and I visited the Bronx Zoo and saw the lions and tigers. These were massive animals and when they let out a roar, it was deep-throated and loud! Anyone standing in the large cat exhibit could hear that sound and feel the power of it.

This video shows two game wardens releasing a cougar from a trap that was intended for either coyotes or bobcats and while it isn’t as large and deep-throated as the lions and tigers I described above, you can see that it is a very powerful animal and these rangers are taking risks in working to release it. As you will witness, it is not an easy task!

Here is a small part of an interview with one of the rangers:

“Ekins said he responded to a call to help release a cougar in the Pine Valley Mountains Dec. 17. He said it was one of the largest cougars he has ever had to release from a trap, and so he decided to film the incident.”

You can read the rest of the interview article at this link –

Video shows intense release of large cougar from trap in southern Utah

Cholla – Do Not Touch

Jeff

Life in the desert keeps me on my toes especially since I enjoy hiking when the weather is reasonable. There is a group of cactus in the Sonoran Desert known as Chollas and there is quite a variety of them. The picture below is part of a Cholla (cactus). Notice all of those thorns!

This is certainly one cactus you do not want to touch. If you study the “arms,” you can see that they are significantly segmented by design. Nature offers this advantage to the plant by allowing the appendages to easily break off and embed in the fur or skin of passing animals and perhaps drop off to gain a foothold elsewhere. They do easily embed in human skin via the same procedure; trust me!

While this would not be a prize winning picture, I appreciated the light outlining the needles on the arms and presenting the contrast of light and dark colors. I often find that there is interest and beauty all around if we take time to look.

Segmented Cholla along the Jewel of the Creek's Main Trail

A Cholla cactus found along the main trail at Jewel of the Creek riparian area, Cave Creek, AZ

Being Cunning Without a Brain via the BBC

Jeff

The Venus Flytrap is one of nature’s cunning predators even if it doesn’t have a brain!

From the YouTube Video Page:

“Hungry Venus flytraps snap shut on a host of unfortunate flies. But, despite its name, flies arent the flytrap’s only meal. As long as its prey is roughly the right size and touches two of its hairs within twenty seconds, the plant will dine on any insect or spider that comes its way. Glands in the lobes then secrete enzymes that break the dinner down into a digestible soup. Ten days later, the trap pops open to reveal nothing but a dried out husk.”

Save the Ocean, Save Ourselves – TED Talk Video

Jeff

Beautiful purple starfish with white spots
“Image Courtesy of TED Talk Video Screenshot”

Ocean photographer Thomas Peschak has long been concerned about the envirionmental impact the world’s population has had on ocean life. At one time he sought to shock audiences into action to protect the ocean and all forms of its life. Today, however, he teaches them to love the ocean life and appreciate the inter-connectedness we have with the ocean and in that way, people will be motivated to work to save the oceans from destruction.

Thomas Peschack - Environmentalist and Photographer
“Image Courtesy of TED Talk Video Screenshot”

Hammerhead shark
“Image Courtesy of TED Talk Video Screenshot”

In the video below Peschak takes us into several of his favorite realms and lets us explore why they are so unique and vital. Included in the video are a variety of sharks, manta rays, dolphins, whales and special ocean-related geographical locations. I think you will find this fascinating.