by forest in our backyard
About two weeks ago, I made a long overdue first visit with some of my family (who’d been there before) to the very popular, though awkwardly named Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve located in the North Shore mountains behind us, right in Vancouver’s backyard. I don’t know why I’d waited so long. There are numerous trails to explore through these beautiful forests so I look forward to visiting many more times. The only problem was that I spent more time taking photos than walking so I may have to leave the camera home if I want to get a workout.
Anyway, I promised more photos from that first walk, and being on things arboreal, it’s just in time for this month’s Festival of the Trees, being hosted at the beautiful trees, if you please.The deadline for submissions is September 28th, so there’s still time to participate.
One of the things I love about the Pacific Northwest is our forests and the way the tall trees create a magestic canopy overhead. Here and there were orange and rust coloured sculptural forms standing out from the darker green background of cedar and hemlock, often highlit by a perfectly placed beam of sunlight, like a spotlight on the star of the stage. These still brilliant skeletons look like they may be the remains of giants felled by last winter’s huge windstorms. Here was beauty even in the early stages of decay. At the same time we were appreciative that they were still full of life giving nutrients for future trees, birds, bug-eating creatures and the ecology of the forest floor – a circle of life.
September 25, 2007 in Being an Artist, Blogging, Canada and BC, Photography by Marja-Leena
You are very lucky to live in such a beautiful corner of the world.
Joan – I know, it’s really an amazing part of the world and there’s still so much to see. We are indeed lucky we landed here. I noticed on your blog that you’ve been up in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, places I want to visit very much. Have you ever been to BC?
Marja-Lenna, Yes, I have been to BC. About 4 years ago my husband and I went out to your beautiful Canadian west. We started in Banff (sp?), drove to through the wonderful Rockies. Then we took the train to Vancouver … wonderful city … flew to Vancouver Island staying a week along the shore and loving it. Watched black bears with cubs feeding and just had a marvelous time. I know we didn’t do our travels justice because we were only out there for about 3 weeks. But hopefully one day we’ll get back there. We think Canada is awesome in many, many ways!!
Marja-Leena, I’m pleased that you recognize snags as sculptural forms. So many people fail to recognize their value, which from an ecological perspective is immense. However, the snags in the photos appear to me to have been dead for a number of years. I know things rot quickly in the temperate rainforest, depending on the species probably, but there’s no way those could have been killed just this past winter – unless you meant that they were larger dead snags before the windstorms.
Thanks for the FOTT plug!
Joan, I’ve been reading more and nore of your blog – your travels are so interesting! We don’t travel as much as I’d like to but it’s amazing how much there is to see in one’s backyard. I’d love to see the Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlottes) and the whole coast.
Dave, As you can see, I’m no expert, but I thought the fresh colour of the snags meant they were more recently fallen. There were obviously older ones around that were grey and ‘rotting’. I’d observed the same in our local park, which had huge swaths come down in one windstorm. I think it’s the western red cedar that has that brilliant colour.
Hei Marja-Leena!
Jätin sinulle blogissani haasteen 🙂
Lovely country. I am intrigued that the top right hand picture looks like a fantastic giant fork with a huge mouthfull of foliage on it, just ready for a vast cavern of a mouth to decend ….
Olga – I’m glad you noticed that one! It was so strange that I had to take a photo of it.
Hei Tuima, kiitos kovasti – yritän ottaa osaa, mutta kiireinen viikko on menossa. Jos ei tule tehtyä, käypä katsomassa aikaisempia samantapaisia täällä ja täällä.
Ah ML, decay can be so striking. Your image of the dead tree trunk in the sun is quite stunning.
Herhimnbryn, glad you agree! Thanks for visiting,
Lovely trees, lovely photos! Many of my recent photos have been bark (my ggson argues that trees can’t bark, but he’ll learn!), lichen and moss on trunks. It’s hard to beat the Northwest! Enjoyed your post!
Hi Tumblewords! Just the other day, I took several photos of a tree with interesting bark and bulbous areas. Textures are fascinating, aren’t they? I had a quick look at your blog – you do watercolours, and fractals are something I’d like to try. I’ll be back. Thanks for visiting!
Hi Marja-Leena
I’m responding to your fractal question on my blog – I use either fractal explorer or apophysis. Both are free programs. And I’m not as good as I’d like to be. I think my art site might have more information.
I’m going to enjoy spending time on your blog – so glad to have found you!
Tumblewords – thank you for the information. At first glance, it seems that these programs are for Windows, but a search yielded many for Macs. Thanks for the inspiration to check out this new possibility that I’d forgotten about. Happy to have you visiting, as I am doing at your blog too!