Tag Archives: dormant

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Holly Plant, Dry Wash

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Desert Holly Plant, Dry Wash, Death Valley
“Desert Holly Plant, Dry Wash” — A dormant desert holly plant in a desert wash, Death Valley.

This photograph comes from one of the more arid, inhospitable-looking locations in Death Valley National Park. The soil here is not conducive to much plant life, and few plants manage to eke out an existence. One that does is the desert holly. When it gets enough water it sports lovely gray-green foliage, but when the heat and aridity become too much the plant goes dormant and turns brown/tan.

These plants are growing along the edges of a desert wash, which makes sense given that any sufficient runoff will move down this stream bed and leave behind a bit more moisture for the plants growing there. Washes like this, though often with a more gravelly surface, are everywhere this park, and they frequently provide passage into mountains.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Winter Oak and Fog

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“Winter Oak and Fog” — An old winter oak tree silhouetted against clearing fog glowing in morning sunlight.

Plans change. On this morning I was going to take a walk in the neighborhood, but low fog seemed to be sticking around longer than usual so I decided to go for a more extensive hike at a location that I thought might be interesting in these conditions. I drove that direction and saw the fog doing all sorts of interesting things — so I abandoned my hiking plans and instead devoted the morning to chasing that boundary between the fog and the sunlight. I caught a glimpse of this tree as I passed a crossroad.

I was on a narrow road with no turnouts, so I continued for a distance until I found a place where I could turn around and head back to the tree. Arriving there I discovered that the best viewpoint didn’t permit parking, but I spotted a pull-out nearby on the other side of the road. This entailed more driving to find a suitable turn around point. I finally got back and parked my vehicle and got out with my gear… just as the first blue sky was starting to appear behind this lovely old oak tree as the fog began to thin.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Winter Trees

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“Winter Trees” — Morning sunlight on winter trees, Santa Clara County.

This photo was made in my “backyard,” relatively speaking, of the hills south of Silicon Valley. This morning it was very foggy here, and when it looked like the fog might stick around I grabbed my camera gear and headed out to see what opportunities might await. I did photograph some foggy subjects (photos will appear here before long) but eventually I wandered up an old rural road that I hadn’t visited in years.

California’s winter climate can seem quite strange to out-of-staters. In most of the state, except for the high mountains and desert areas, the latter part of winter is our green season. And now, in late January, it has begun again in Northern California. As I drove up this little road, new grass was turning the hillsides green, and there were leaves on some trees. I stopped at a wide spot to photograph the delightfully complex silhouette of this tree in hazy sunlight.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | BlueSky | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Tree, Dawn Sky

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Winter Tree, Dawn Sky
“Winter Tree, Dawn Sky” — A solitary tree in front of a winter sunrise, California Central Valley.

This photograph is the result of an unexpected and disappointing happenstance… that turned out fine in the end. I had driven a couple of hours before dawn to photograph in the Central Valley. But when I arrived I found a small group of people waiting outside a locked gate. That happens sometimes, and sooner or later the gate opens automatically. But this time it did not, and we could not find a way to open it. Rather than sit around and wait — and miss the sunrise — I headed off to look for alternatives.

A few miles away I came upon a creek and some surrounding wetlands where trees grow. I quickly found a few potential compositions in the rapidly arriving sunrise light. One of the first was this lone tree, silhouetted against ann intensely colorful sky. (Eventually I returned to that locked gate. Someone did finally show up annd open it.)

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.