Tag Archives: moss

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

New Tree Shoots and Moss

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New Tree Shoots and Moss

New Tree Shoots and Moss. Castle Rock State Park, California. April 19, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New spring shoots grow against a bed of moss on the side of an oak tree.

As I walked a trail across a grassy hillside studded with oaks, I was not looking for this photograph – I was actually heading to a spot a bit further on where I’ve photographed lupine flowers in previous springs. But these small branches (very red in a non-black and white version) caught my eye, especially as they grew against a background carpet of moss. (I posted a black and white version of this photograph yesterday.)

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.

keywords: new, spring, growth, shoots, branch, leaf, red, white, twig, bud, oak, tree, moss, green, pattern, vein, nature, castle rock, state, park, california, usa, foliage, plant, stock

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New Tree Shoots and Moss

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New Tree Shoots and Moss

New Tree Shoots and Moss. Castle Rock State Park, California. April 19, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New spring shoots grow against a bed of moss on the side of an oak tree.

As I walked a trail across a grassy hillside studded with oaks, I was not looking for this photograph – I was actually heading to a spot a bit further on where I’ve photographed lupine flowers in previous springs. But these small branches (very red in a non-black and white version) caught my eye, especially as they grew against a background carpet of moss.

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.

keywords: new, spring, growth, shoots, branch, leaf, red, white, twig, bud, oak, tree, moss, green, pattern, vein, nature, castle rock, state, park, california, usa, foliage, plant, stock, black and white, monochrome

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Spring Growth, Bigleaf Maples

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Spring Growth, Bigleaf Maples

Spring Growth, Bigleaf Maples. Muir Woods National Monument, California. March 21, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New spring leaves sprout on Bigleaf Maple trees beneath the canopy of redwood trees at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

This trio of bigleaf maple trees along the creek beneath the redwood trees at Muir Woods was just starting to develop spring leaves when I visited near the end of March. They are gently illuminated by diffuse light from an overcast sky filtering down through the redwood tree canopy. I’d like to revisit these trees in a few weeks when their leaves achieve the impressively large size that this tree is known for.

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.

keywords: Acer macrophyllum, bigleaf, oregon, maple, leaf, big, sprout, bud, trunk, branch, twig, grove, forest, tree, redwood, muir woods, national, monument, park, golden gate, recreation, area, marin county, california, usa, nature, moss, scenic, travel, landscape, stock, dark, light, morning, filtered

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Creekside Fern

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Creekside Fern

Creekside Fern. Muir Woods National Monument, California. March 21, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A lone fern plant grows on the bank of the creek in the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

I photographed this solitary fern against the background of the main Muir Woods creek flowing across a shallow section of rocky creek bottom. Sometimes I set myself a challenge of trying to find as many photographs as possible in one small area. I paused in this one spot for perhaps 15 minutes or longer, barely moving my tripod as I composed several photographs focusing on details of the surrounding scene. In addition to this fern, I made a series of photographs of new leaves on understory trees against a background of tall redwoods and I photographed the forest floor which was in places covered with redwood sorrel, ferns, and trillium.

(Added later:) Not sure how other photographers approach photographing in a place like this, but here is a bit about how I do it. I walk very slowly. I stop and look around. I make myself look up and down. I go through a sort of mental checklist of potential subjects: tree trunks, close ups of small features, critters, light, people, foliage/flowers, water, juxtapositions of forms and angles, and so on. I spend far more time looking than photographing – sometimes I may amble for a half hour or so at the start before I even take my camera out of the bag.

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.

keywords: creek, stream, brook, water, flow, ripple, wave, motion, blur, rocks, fern, leaf, plant, foliage, needles, branch, moss, bank, edge, green, growth, redwood, forest, grove, muir woods, national monument, california, usa, park, recreation, area, golden gate, travel, scenic, nature, landscape, stock