Tag Archives: oak

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Oaks, Spring

March 13, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Spring green comes to the oak-covered hills of Northern California

After all of these years, I’m still amazed by the arrival of California’s season of “impossible green,” when in late winter the grasses that are so dry and brown for much of the year erupt into a lush green that blankets the hills. When summer visitors express surprise at California’s dry summers, I always want to say, “Come back in March!”

I headed out on this morning for several reasons. First and foremost, I wanted to hike a bit. But I also wanted to do a bit of wildflower reconnaissance. (The quick report: In the place I visited the biggest wildflower show is yet to come.) In addition, I wanted to see what this year’s rainy winter has done to a landscape that has been very, very dry for half of a decade. For the first time in years, there was water everywhere. Water was flowing out of every little valley and alluvial hillsides were sponge-full of water that is leaking out the bottom. After so many dry springs, I think I actually enjoyed having to work my way around ponds of muddy water and occasionally slog right through the mud!

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Dormant Oaks

March 2, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Winter-dormant oak trees in Yosemite Valley

Many things characterize Yosemite Valley. To a first-time visitor the cliffs, famous prominent peaks, and waterfalls are the main attraction — and the most common subjects of photographs. Spend a bit more time there and your awareness of other things increases: the river and its many tributaries, the forests and meadows, the boulder piles along the edges of the Valley. If your visits encompass more than one season your conception of the place expands to include not only the sunny summers but also the colorful autumn, the cold and occasional snow of winter, and the water-everywhere season of spring.

For me the oak trees are a big part of what makes the Valley the Valley, from their brilliant new growth in late spring, through autumn’s color change, to their bare and skeletal winter forms. I was photographing something else in one of the Valley’s meadows early on this morning, at a time when the first light was just beginning to touch the upper rim. I took a short break from my subject and just looked around, spotting this dense and detailed by of oak branch texture, form, and color nearby.

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Oak Tree, Clearing Storm

January 3, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A Yosemite valley oak tree with autumn storm clouds swirling around granite cliffs

This may be an almost quintessential Yosemite Valley autumn scene — a bit of golden brown meadow, back-lit black oak tree fall color, granite cliffs, and the clouds of a dissipating early season storm.

This is perhaps my favorite time in the Valley, with a snowy winter day providing the only real competition for that designation. There is an end-of-summer feeling still, especially since the days are often sunny and pleasantly warm. The place is more colorful than at any other time of year — spring wildflowers may be more diverse, but the masses of leaves are larger. With an early rain storm, the near-dormant waterfalls spring back to life and the Merced River rises. And behind all of the knowledge that winter’s arrival is only weeks away.

Photographs: Nature

Poison Oak

October 11, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A vining poison oak plant grows on the bark of a coastal tree, Point Lobos

Californians learn about poison oak at an early age. I recall that in elementary school occasionally a fellow student would come to school suffering from an awful rash from this plant. From my earliest hikes in the California hills (but not the Sierra Nevada, to the relief of many!) I learned that the plant is everywhere and, like all hikers here, I learned to quickly identify it. It is known to most by the reddish-brown colors of the leaves, but the “leaves in threes” pattern is a more certain feature since it is also dangerous during its completely green phase.

Despite the danger, the plant can be quite beautiful — though I find it difficult to photograph. The red to brown tones of the plant is summer are striking, and it can actually appear quite lush during its winter growth period. I found this growth on the side of the tree at Point Lobos last winter, and was fortunate to be able to photograph it in partial shade and on a day when the sun’s intensity was muted a bit by haze and fog.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: oak

Oaks, Spring

Dormant Oaks

Oak Tree, Clearing Storm

Poison Oak

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.