Tag Archives: travel

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Trillium, Sorrel, and Ferns – Redwood Forest

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Trillium, Sorrel, and Ferns - Redwood Forest

Trillium, Sorrel, and Ferns – Redwood Forest. Muir Woods National Monument, California. March 21, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring trillium, redwood sorrel (Oregon oxalis), and ferns grow beneath the redwood trees at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

This past Saturday I visited Muir Woods National Monument – again! – to photograph the ongoing arrival of spring growth in the redwood forest. Following a few weeks of welcome rain and the recent start of spring, the plant life in the redwood forest is exploding everywhere. Here a lush patch of trillium, redwood sorrel (Oregon oxalis), and ferns grows right next to one of the main trails through the groves.

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: muir, woods, national, monument, park, recreation area, golden gate, california, usa, marin county, forest, grove, redwood, floor, foliage, plants, nature, trillium, leaves, sorrell, oregon, oxalis, fern, needles, flower, blossom, twig, green, scenic, travel, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: San Francisco

Alcatraz and San Francisco Bay, Morning Light

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Alcatraz and San Francisco Bay, Morning Light

Alcatraz and San Francisco Bay, Morning Light. San Francisco, California. March 21, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early mornng sun breaks through clouds over San Francisco Bay and illuminates the water to silhouette Alcatraz Island.

This weekend I visited Muir Woods again. I was on the road early enough to arrive at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge by dawn. Even if I am headed somewhere else, I almost always stop at the north end to see what sort of light is shining on the City and the bay – and this morning low clouds from an incoming weather system were sweeping across the bay as sunlight broke through intermittently to light the water on the bay. Before heading on to Muir Woods I made a series of photographs of this light, including this one of Alcatraz.

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: san francisco, bay, california, usa, water, alcatraz, island, prison, park, historic, oakland, treasure island, bridge, golden, light, clouds, beams, silhouette, tower, building, travel, historic, area, storm, birds, landscape, scenic, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Oregon Oxalis

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Oregon Oxalis

Oregon Oxalis. Muir Woods National Monument, California. February 28, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Bright leaves of Oregon oxalis carpet the forest floor under the redwood trees at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

I suppose this might more accurately be titled “More Oregon Oxalis” since I posted similar photograph in landscape orientation earlier. When I make a photograph like this one I often try to get versions in both portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal) orientation – partly because I think the subject looks interesting both way and partly for more practical reasons. By the way, I understand that the plant is also known as “redwood sorrell.”

Earlier today someone posted a comment on another of my photographs of this subject and pointed out that the plant also produces very pretty little pink flowers. I think they were just beginning to appear when I shot this – I saw a few of them, and a bud is barely visible near the center of this photo. I may return to Muir Woods soon, and the next time I’ll keep an eye out specifically for the flowers.

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: muir, woods, national, monument, park, marin, forest, nature, california, usa, oxalis, oregon, oreganas, redwood, tree, sorrell, bright, leaf, leaves, carpet, floor, marin county, water, drop, rain, dew, morning, foliage, nature, scenic, travel, trail, hike, stock, green, clover

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Four Redwoods, Muir Woods

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Four Redwoods, Muir Woods. Muir Woods National Monument, California. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

Four Redwoods, Muir Woods. Muir Woods National Monument, California. February 28, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A detail of the weathered and burn-scarred trunks of four old redwood trees at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

Although I find it a very hard subject to photograph, I’m always intrigued by the textures and shapes of redwood tree trunks, especially when they are as rugged and time-worn as these are. There are four trees in this photo with the most distant picking up a bit more light than those in the foreground. This grouping is, I’m almost embarrassed to admit, right next to a very popular section of the most popular trail at Muir Woods.

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: muir, woods, national, monument, park, marin, forest, nature, california, usa, redwood, tree, trunk, bark, weathered, scar, burn, char, fire, damage, texture, four, needle, pattern, abstract, detail, overlap, moss, green, black, brown, light, marin county, scenic, travel, foliage, stock