Oak Leaves and Branches, Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. June 6, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The leaves and branches of a spring oak tree above the cliffs of Yosemite Valley, California.

I have photographed this oak tree before. It is one of several that sit near the edge of the drop off above the lower section of Yosemite Valley above the narrow section before the Merced begins its precipitous descent down the narrow canyon to El Portal; this is also the location of the first view of El Capitan and Half Dome as you arrive via the northern entrance to the park. I had stopped here to photograph those icons but decided to also photograph the new spring leaves on this tree with the cliffs across the canyon as the backdrop.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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