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Fallen Giant -- WC 561
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Fallen Giant -- WC 561

by Wayne Jones

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted November 19, 2012179 views3 comments
When this old tree grew, its shade changed the character of the forest around it. When it died fell, it changed the forest again, and the brook that flows through it. The new waterfall enriches it with oxygen, but stops upstream migration of brook's the little fish. The hawk that once raised its young in the treetop had to find a new home, but now there is an amazingly rich and diverse new food web based on the dead tree. That, along with the new species that flourish in the new sunlit opening, demonstrates that death is not the end of life, but an important transformation that completes the circle of life.

Canon 5DII
Canon 24-105L IS
1/5 sec. @ f/16; ISO 640
Five images blended for depth of field

Comments

3 comments
Comment posted by Karen Kane on November 20, 2012 at 12:55 AM
Well said Wayne - and well captured. An essential for functioning ecosystems is the entire cycle be allowed to flourish and repeat, why we must take only photos and leave only footprints.
Registered on August 4, 2012, 66 Posts, 726 Comments
Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on November 20, 2012 at 8:44 PM
Excellent photo to backup the analogy of the forest life cycle, Wayne. This tree is still pretty stout as it's spanning a heck of a distance from the anchor point to the left out the frame & then clear out to the actual creek bed. Eventually the aging process and gravity will take over and she will become some very fine feed for the surrounding forest floor and it's plants. Nice to see the healthy green stuff too, a good sign of a neat site doing well I suspect. :cool:
Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments
Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on November 22, 2012 at 8:09 PM
Great commentary to accompany your picture, Wayne. :smile: It is amazing to observe the cycle of life and the interconnectedness of all of nature; your picture and comments illustrate this very well. Nice comp on this with the angled log and upstream POV. Looks like a peaceful spot to sit and contemplate.
Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments