Category: photography

Finger Lakes National Forest 8

Best Morning View

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Mornings are best for the west side of Finger Lakes National Forest ridge facing west over Seneca Lake. Set deep between hills, lake water is not visible, the distant land is the west side of the lake.

An abandoned church converted to Community Center is the distant steeple, marking the hamlet of Logan. I played a bit with the vista, moving forward and across, forgoing temptation to bring the autumn foliage front and center as this was private pasture, was 50 feet in as it was.

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Finger Lakes National Forest 7

on the trail

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Perfection on a horse trail of Finger Lakes National Forest, Schuyler County, New York.

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Finger Lakes National Forest 6

the long watch

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The ancient wisdom of trees.

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  • Finger Lakes National Forest is a patchwork of ancient forest, gorges and marginal farmland abondoned for decades such as this emerging forest next to an actively farmed pasture.

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Finger Lakes National Forest 5

leaf litter eternal

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During the series of Part 4 I caught this shot of fallen leaves with alternating bands of sun and shadow from the surrounding young forest.

Today, there is a patchwork of private land and National Forest. This line of color marks the forest boundary on the eastern ridge side.

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Finger Lakes National Forest 4

farmland reverted to forest

MichaelStephenWills8 Comments

In the long history of this forested ridge two Iroquois tribes visited this unproductive land for tree nuts and hunting, unproductive in that the soil did not support agriculture. After the Revolutionary War, the British siding Iroquois tribes were driven away and the land given as one mile square blocks to soldiers, in payment for service. Those who settled this ridge cleared the land and farmed as best they could. During the Depression era, many of these farms were abandoned and others sold to the Federal government.

Today, there is a patchwork of private land and National Forest. We stand here just across a border with a private pasture featured in Part 3. This is land returning to forest.

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In this series of three exposures I whittled away at edges to achieve the final result in this third.

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Rock Elm, autumn

Rock Elm Autumn

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Taughannock Gorge south rim trail passes close to Gorge Road at one point. Rock Elm is an understory tree that comes into its own late autumn.

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  • Glory on Gorge Road
    Glory on Gorge Road

Eirk Townland View Four

Looking toward Lough Gummeenduff

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We are near Molls Gap on the Ring of Kerry. At our feet is Eric townland, there’s an epynmous Bog Nature Reserve down there.g of Kerry. At our feet is Eric townland, there’s an eponymous Bog Nature Reserve down there.

Townlands Derrylough, Crossderry and distant Bunbinnia take up most of the view. Those familiar with post-glacial topography will recognize the glacially oversteepened slopes of the distant through valley. The valley floor is a glacial outwash plain.

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Copyright 2021 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Rock Elm, autumn

November Star

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Elms thrive in the understory, turning late to catch autumn sunlight.

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  • Rock Elm, autumn
    Rock Elm, autumn

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Eirk Townland View Three

Across the far mountains is Black Valley

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Here we are still standing in Moll’s Gap, looking a bit farther northwest into Black Valley than for View Two. Across the far mountains is Black Valley, a place so remote it was among the last, on the island itself (“mainland”) to be electrified or connected to telephone networks. Today Black Valley is a southerly route to the Gap of Dunloe well known to certain hikers and cyclists.

I am struggling here to deal with the vast range of light intensity from the glow of a westering sun, to the shadows cast by surrounding heights.

Beneath our feet are the slopes of Derrygarriff (in Irish Doire Gharbh) of the Mangerton range. Across the way is Crossderry peak of the Dunkerron mountains, the townland is named for the peak (or vice versa).

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Here is a second try, a bit more successful as the clouds opened to shine on distant land. I did work in Photoshop to manage the brightest clouds.

Here are all three versions of the Black Valley view from Moll’s Gap. Enjoy

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Oak Leaves, forest floor

Leaf Carpet

A Natural Wonder

MichaelStephenWills16 Comments

Wednesday last I enjoyed shuffling along a forest carpet along the South Rim Trail of Taughannock Falls Park. It is a lost pleasure now the first snow is with us.

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  • Leaf Carpet on South Rim Trail
    Leaf Carpet on South Rim Trail
  • Oak Leaves, forest floor
    Oak Leaves, forest floor
  • Understory Autumn

Photographs in Gallery

  • Leaf Carpet on South Rim Trail
    Leaf Carpet on South Rim Trail
  • Oak Leaves, forest floor
    Oak Leaves, forest floor
  • Understory Autumn

Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills