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  • In this image a locust tree on the Appalachian Trail in Grayson Highlands State Park creates an intricate abstract picture frame for the fall foliage on Wilburn Ridge. It reminds me of an abstract stained glass window.
    Locust Tree Composition
  • Wild ponies near Massey Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park.
    Ponies at Massy Gap.tif
  • Grayson Highlands represents an ideal environment for lichen to thrive.  This young tree was latterly covered with lichens.  The rich textures, colors and varieties are very interesting  and make great subjects for natural photography.  Lichen is a composite organism formed by a framework of fungus fibers containing algae and/or cyanobacteria all living together in a symbiotic relationship.  They are not parasites to the plants they grow on; they actually produce their own food from sunlight and derive air, water and minerals from the environment – a self-contained ecosystem!  Considering all this, I find lichens not only beautiful, but also quite fascinating.
    Lichen Armor
  • Just west of Mt. Rogers at Rhododendron Gap, the northbound AT turns south towards Grayson Highlands State Park along the western flank of Wilburn Ridge.  The downward approach follows several rocky balds surrounded by grassland and scrubs.  In the grassland between two of the larger balds I came across these two trees, a living small locust in the foreground, and a dead hemlock in the background overlooking the eastern side of Wilburn Ridge in the park boundaries.<br />
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I felt the composition, clouds and mid-morning light made for a dramatic black and white image.  I pushed the luminance slightly in the yellows while bring back the orange, green & blues.
    Between the Balds
  • Spruce Tree Root Composition
  • This tree was adjacent to the AT on the eastern side of Wilburn Ridge.  I suspect this is a young hemlock which succumbed to the hemlock version of the woolly adelgid.  The contrast of the lichen covered branches against the surrounding foliage was quite striking.  This image was selected to appear in the 2015 Dimensions exhibit at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
    Ghost on the Ridgeline (b&w)
  • Fraser Fir Composition.tif
  • Deep in the thick rhododendron underbrush along a section of the AT in southwest Virginia, I found this tree with a diverse collection of lichen and moss.
    Lichen & Moss Composition 1
  • Taken as the morning fog began to lift, I felt this dead hemlock (left) and birch tree made an interesting composition.  I left only the green color from the lichen to add a little more drama to the image.
    Hemlock & Birch Tree Composition
  • On our hike out from Rhododendron Gap (along the similarly named trail), we passed around and below the west edge of the first large bald on the west side of Wilburn Ridge.  After coming back out into the grassland I came across this fallen tree.  The light gray color and lifelessness of the tree strongly contrasted with the surround beauty to make a powerful image.  This image seems to be a favorite from this gallery collection.
    Tombstone in the Bald
  • Adjacent to the AT, this tree was one of hundreds of dead or dying trees in the area.  Two types of aphids from Asia have decimated both hemlock and fir trees in the southeast.  It is believed acid rain has also weakened the tree’s ability to defend themselves against these imported pests and other natural diseases.  Several groups and agencies are working to save and restore these beautiful trees.<br />
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For me at least, the irony of this great loss is in the haunting beauty in the skeletal remains of these once mighty trees.  They stand as moments to their former glory and create a unique visual and spiritual contrast to the inspiring terrain surrounding them.  I find it difficult to tell which of these dead trees is a hemlock, and which is a fraser fir.
    Monument
  • This backpacker breaks for lunch on the Appalachian Trail in Grayson County, North Carolina
    Trail Break
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