Thursday, August 18, 2011

Roots and lichen

Tree roots exposed by the surf at high tide along Ninilchik Beach.  It's a dramatic image of the rhizosphere, and I imagine many other similar scenes can be found along eroded river banks and shorelines.  The architectural beauty of the roots reminds me of mangrove trees. South of the Alaska Range the climate supports beautiful trees and vegetation.  Though I didn't take a picture of the Hemlock trees in Chugach National Forest, they have a strong sculptural quality as well.
A view of a mountain from just south of the Alaska Range.  The scene is framed by a white spruce with it's lichen blowing in the breeze.  I took this picture while we were at the Veteran's Memorial along the Parks Highway.  North of the Alaska Range long drooping lichens are far less common.
This photo I took the year before near the same area shows just how large these lichens can get during a wet summer.
The same beach as the first photo, during a colder season obviously.  (And an earlier year.)  Credit for the photo belongs to my dad. 

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