Pine At The Top Of The Hill

This pine stands alone near the top of a hill, in a meadow at Shenandoah National Park.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Golden Hour

It’s Lonely At The Top

This lonely tree grows on a rock outcropping in the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone.  I photographed it one cloudy morning but the result was even, flat lighting, leaving the photo without much of a sense of perspective.  The next day I was lucky enough to return at just the right time.  The cliff face and tree were bathed in the warm, direct morning sunlight but the opposing canyon wall and the foreground elements were still in shadow.  As a result, the subject is literally highlighted.

Tri-Colored Pine Cone

I’m not much of a pine cone photographer (is there such a thing?) but the colors on this cone really caught my eye.  It grew from the branch of a fallen tree that was clearly still very much alive.

Brown Headed Nuthatch

I encountered this brown headed nuthatch in a grove of pine trees along the south shore of the James River.  I later learned the James River is the northern edge of their range, which explained why I had never seen one before; I live on the north side of the river.