National Parks

Sierra Nevada Trees Yosemite

Giant Sequoia Pictures

Many of my giant sequoia pictures are now on Photoshelter, which is the source of this nifty slideshow. Sequoia trees really are the most majestic of all plants. They are the largest (i.e., most massive) life forms on earth, and they are nearly the tallest (exceeded only by their cousins…

Phil CollaSeptember 2, 2009

California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders

Some years ago I posted a blog entry about photos of glacial erratic boulders on Olmsted Point in Yosemite National Park. Well, I was recently there and got a few more. Glacial erratic boulders are so named because they are erratic (i.e., differ materially from the naturally occuring stone nearby)…

Phil CollaSeptember 1, 2009

California Sierra Nevada Trees Yosemite

Giant Sequoia Tree Photo

My in-laws live year-round very near the south entrance to Yosemite National Park. It only takes a few minutes for me to drive in and reach the Mariposa grove of giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum), so I will often go into the park early in the morning and take a…

Phil CollaAugust 31, 2009

California National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, Yosemite National Park

Photos of Vogelsang High Sierra Camp in Yosemite National Park Note: I made a return trip to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp with my father in August 2010. I made another banzai speed run up to the Eastern Sierra last weekend, this time to spend two nights at reknowned Vogelsang High…

Phil CollaJuly 23, 2009

Infrared Joshua Tree National Parks Photography The American Southwest

Infrared Joshua Tree National Park

I shot these this morning during a quick trip to Joshua Tree National Park. I was totally uninspired for "regular" photography this morning, and the light was not that great anyway due to high winds and dust from the night before. But the little pocket infrared camera made some interesting…

Phil CollaApril 26, 2009

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Half Dome is the one feature most closely associated with Yosemite National Park. A vast lobe of Mesozoic-era granodiorite magma cooled to rock, Half Dome was gradually uplifted to its present altitude of 8842 ft. As the rock was exposed, weathering and exfoliation of shell-like outer layers of the rock…

Phil CollaApril 16, 2009

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park

El Capitan, the massive granite monolith overlooking the western end of Yosemite Valley, is my favorite attraction in the park. It is beautiful and impressive from sunrise to sunset, under moonlight, in rain and when shrouded in mist. El Capitan, the largest known exposed granite block in the world, stands…

Phil CollaApril 15, 2009

California Icons Infrared Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Infrared Photo of Yosemite Falls and Leidig Meadow

I used the same digital infrared camera to photograph Leidig Meadow with upper Yosemite Falls. The skies were totally socked in, there was light rain and virtually no color, so normal color photographs were unappealing and immediately deleted. But a black and white conversion of one of the color channels…

Phil CollaApril 14, 2009

California Infrared National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Infrared Photo of El Capitan, Yosemite

Here is an image of El Capitan, one of Yosemite Valley's most iconic iconistic icons, made with an digital infrared camera. The camera senses infrared light only, rather than visible spectrum light, resulting in dark skies and foliage that glows. See more Yosemite National Park stock photos. El Capitan eastern…

Phil CollaApril 13, 2009

National Parks Panoramas Photography Wyoming Yellowstone

Midway Geyser Basin Panorama, Yellowstone

Midway Geyser Basin is one of my favorite parts of Yellowstone National Park. Early mornings and cold days are great here. The Firehole River steams as it flows through the basin, and numerous hot springs on either side of the river create shifting fogs and mists. In this panorama, formed…

Phil CollaFebruary 8, 2009

California Joshua Tree National Parks The American Southwest

Joshua Tree National Park Sunrise

On Thanksgiving morning I made a quick sunrise run into Joshua Tree National Park. Fortunately the Starbucks near my mom's in La Quinta opens at 5am so I was fully caffeinated for the drive. I got into my favorite part of the park about 45 minutes before sunrise, parked and…

Phil CollaDecember 17, 2008

Elk National Parks Wildlife Wyoming Yellowstone

Elk Photos

It's the time of year when the bugling of rutting elk echoes around Yellowstone National Park. Here is our collection of elk photos (Cervus candensis), all from Yellowstone National Park, most taken in the fall during the elk rut but a few in summer as the elk antlers are still…

Phil CollaSeptember 1, 2008

California Death Valley Desert National Parks

Photo of the Devil’s Golf Course, Death Valley National Park

The Devil's Golf Course is a curious assemblage of crystalline salt shapes spread over a large swath of the Death Valley salt pan. This saltpan, which is the lowest point in Death Valley National Park, and indeed the western hemisphere, holds a small amount of subsurface moisture. This water is…

Phil CollaApril 6, 2008

California Death Valley Desert National Parks

Photo of Badwater, Death Valley National Park

Badwater is the lowest point in Death Valley National Park, at 282 feet below sea level. Indeed, it is the lowest point in the entire western hemisphere. The Badwater Basin is the catch point for 9000 square miles of drainage, however, there is typically little water here except following winter…

Phil CollaApril 5, 2008

California Death Valley Desert National Parks

Photo of Pink Sunrise on Telescope Peak over Badwater

I've been on a few deep scuba dives in my life but relative to sea level this is as deep as I have ever been, and I didn't even need to strap on a scuba tank to get there. Seen here is delicate pre-dawn pink light on a snow covered…

Phil CollaApril 4, 2008

California Joshua Tree National Parks Photo of the Day The American Southwest

Photo of Joshua Trees at Sunrise

We went out to La Quinta last weekend to visit our new baby niece. A big storm system was passing over California but the Coachella Valley got very little rain from it. I made a sunrise run out to Joshua Tree National Park and did a little exploring as the…

Phil CollaJanuary 8, 2008

Elk National Parks Wildlife Wyoming Yellowstone

Photo of Elk Flehmen Response

This bull elk (Cervus candensis) had a fine harem of females along the Madison River. He was bugling often and loudly, raising his head and lowering his antler rack behind him as he did so. Note how the bull's upper lip is curled back. This is an example of the…

Phil CollaDecember 6, 2007

Elk National Parks Wildlife Wyoming Yellowstone

Photos of Yellowstone Elk

Ok, here is the last photo of the bull elk (Cervus candensis) that I photographed just outside Mammoth Hot Springs. Bull elk in sage brush with large rack of antlers during the fall rut (mating season). This bull elk has sparred with other bulls to establish his harem of females…

Phil CollaDecember 1, 2007

Elk National Parks Wildlife Wyoming Yellowstone

Photo of Bull Elk in Sage

Here is another look at the fine bull elk (Cervus candensis) I spent an afternoon photographing near Mammoth Hot Springs. Bull elk in sage brush with large rack of antlers during the fall rut (mating season). This bull elk has sparred with other bulls to establish his harem of females…

Phil CollaNovember 30, 2007

Elk National Parks Wildlife Wyoming Yellowstone

Bugling Elk at Mammoth Hot Springs

The bull elk (Cervus candensis) I photographed one afternoon near Mammoth Hot Springs is seen here bugling, an audible cue and a form of posturing intended for both his harem of females and nearby males, meant to establish his dominance and access rights to the females and warn other males…

Phil CollaNovember 29, 2007

Elk National Parks Wildlife Wyoming Yellowstone

Mammoth Elk Photos

After spending a few days in the Madison River area looking at the elk (Cervus candensis) herds there, I drive over to Mammoth Hot Springs. The bulls are bigger and have nicer antler racks there, so I have heard, but they need to be outside of town to get good…

Phil CollaNovember 28, 2007

National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Photo of a Moose in Snow

We found this moose (Alces alces) beside Soda Butte Creek, between the Lamar Valley and the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. A male moose, bull moose, on snow covered field, near Cooke City. Image ID: 19680 Species: Moose, Alces alces Location: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

Phil CollaNovember 27, 2007

National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Madison River Coyote in Snow

I spotted this coyote (Canis latrans) before sunrise one morning along the Madison River on the western edge of Yellowstone National Park. I was looking for elk but the bulls with their harems were not out in the meadows, preferring the cover of the trees. This fellow caught my eye…

Phil CollaNovember 26, 2007

National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Photo of Norris Geyser Basin

Norris Geyser Basin is one of the principal geothermal areas of Yellowstone National Park. Loaded with fumeroles, steaming hot springs, geysers and other generally hot-as-hell nasty holes in the ground, Norris Geyser Basin is best seen on a cool morning when it billows forth steam. The two photos below are…

Phil CollaNovember 7, 2007

National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Photo of a Coyote Hunting Voles

The meadows around Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park are a good place to look for coyotes (Canis latrans) hunting voles. This coyote was found working the tall grass. He would stalk quietly through the grass, stop and listen, poise, leap high and and drop on his prey. Brutally…

Phil CollaNovember 6, 2007

National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Coyote at Sheepeater Cliffs

I usually stop once or twice at Sheepeater Cliffs while in Yellowstone National Park, hoping to photograph the yellow-bellied marmots that are found there. This time I was disappointed: it was too late in the year and they had gone to ground for the winter, and I could not find…

Phil CollaNovember 5, 2007

National Parks Stories Wyoming Yellowstone

Watching Wolves with Laurie Lyman

Update 12/28/07: Wow! This morning Laurie was pictured and quoted in an Associated Press article about the trend of people moving to western states such as Montana and Wyoming, appearing in newspapers throughout the United States. Our main motivation for visiting Yellowstone National Park this past October was to find…

Phil CollaNovember 4, 2007

National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Photo of Grand Prismatic Spring in Winter

One of my favorite places in Yellowstone National Park is Midway Geyser basin. Here two of the largest geothermal features in the entire world lie just yards from one another: Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser. These two huge holes in the ground are filled with superheated water, direct links…

Phil CollaNovember 3, 2007

Brown Bear National Parks Wildlife Wyoming Yellowstone

Photo of a Grizzly Bear in Snow

A few days into my Yellowstone National Park trip I found the ursine suspect in a double murder case. I was not looking for bears, rather just cruising around and admiring all parts of the park, and I was lucky to stumble upon him and get off a few good…

Phil CollaNovember 2, 2007

National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Yellowstone Deer Photos

In October I was in Yellowstone National Park primarily to see and photograph the elk rut. However, my daughter's 3rd grade teacher now lives in Gardner, MT and spends her time studying the wolves, so I made a several drives up to the Lamar Valley to see her and check…

Phil CollaNovember 1, 2007

National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Snow, Grass and Fire Trees

Near the Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park is a stand of fire-scorched trees, or "fire trees" as our younger daughter named them during her first visit to the park five years ago. The ground surrounding a section of these trees is often steaming, hinting at the subterranean warmth…

Phil CollaOctober 31, 2007

National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces and Dead Trees

We spent time checking out the travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, in the northwestern corner of Yellowstone National Park. Several thousand pounds of calcium carbonate, carried in solution from the hot springs that bubble up through thick limestone, are deposited onto the enormous terraces each day. As the terrace…

Phil CollaOctober 30, 2007

Brown Bear National Parks Wildlife Wyoming Yellowstone

Yellowstone Grizzly Kills Two Other Bears

Shortly before my visit to Yellowstone National Park this fall to photograph elk, I learned that not one but two female grizzly bears had been killed, presumably by other bears. Fratricide among adult grizzlies is not particularly unusual, but two killings within days of one another is strange. Since both…

Phil CollaOctober 29, 2007

Funny National Parks Wyoming Yellowstone

Poor Table Manners

Never went to finishing school: Bison. Image ID: 19610 Species: American bison, Bison bison Location: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA Because its there. A lick in time saves nine. A boog in hand is worth two in the nose.

Phil CollaOctober 28, 2007

Alaska Brown Bear Lake Clark National Parks Photo of the Day Wildlife

Photo of a Brown Bear Digging For Clams

One of the interesting behaviors of coastal brown bears (Ursus arctos) is their interest in eating razor clams. Negative low tides expose broad tide flats along the Cook Inlet coast. Brown bears are quite tuned to the timing of these low tides and will arrive at the beach shortly before…

Phil CollaAugust 27, 2007

Alaska Brown Bear Lake Clark National Parks Photo of the Day Wildlife

Standing Tall

This coastal brown bear sow caught the scent of an approaching adult male. Nervous for her cubs, who could be attacked by the male, she stands in the deep sedge grass to get a better look around. A brown bear mother (sow) stands in tall sedge grass to look for…

Phil CollaAugust 18, 2007

Alaska Brown Bear Lake Clark National Parks Wildlife

Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

In 2005 I received a recommendation to visit Silver Salmon Creek Lodge to see bears. I already had a trip planned to Brooks Camp so I didn't look into SSCL for a while. A week at Brooks in July 2006, with superb weather, company and bears, helped me to realize…

Phil CollaAugust 16, 2007

California Landscape National Parks Panoramas Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Tenaya Lake Panoramic Photo

In late summer a few years ago we took the kids to spend a few nights in Tuolumne Meadows and then drive over Tioga Pass to see Mono Lake. We stopped at Lake Tenaya for a swim and a picnic lunch on the way to the meadows. This is a…

Phil CollaAugust 14, 2007

Alaska Brown Bear Lake Clark National Parks Photo of the Day Wildlife

Brown Bear Portrait

My goal in July was to shoot portraits of bears. I scheduled my visit before the arrival of salmon so that the bears would be in the meadows eating sedge grass and staging in the area, waiting for salmon to arrive. Next trip will be a bit later to coincide…

Phil CollaAugust 11, 2007

Alaska Brown Bear Lake Clark National Parks Photo of the Day Wildlife

Pretty Young Thing

This young female coastal brown bear (Ursus arctos) was often around when I was visiting Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. We saw her clamming on the tide flats and grazing on sedge grass in the meadows. She is a really good looking bear, with a thick blond coat and…

Phil CollaAugust 10, 2007

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