on the trail
Perfection on a horse trail of Finger Lakes National Forest, Schuyler County, New York.
the long watch
The ancient wisdom of trees.
leaf litter eternal
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.
farmland reverted to forest
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.
In this series of three exposures I whittled away at edges to achieve the final result in this third.
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.
Elms thrive in the understory, turning late to catch autumn sunlight.
A Natural Wonder
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.
The Flag Forms
Here is a postscript for my retrospective diary of the day I created my print “Ocotillo Sunset.” You can visit “Ocotillo Sunset” in my Online Gallery by clicking on any photograph .
In near total darkness, the last sunlight only enough for the far western sky, these are the last shots of this series.
The final result of the day’s work, “Ocotillo Sunset.”
compare portrait vs. landscape orientation.
In the long history of this forested ridge two Iroquois tribes relied on this land for tree nuts and hunting, 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. 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. This line of color marks the forest boundary on the eastern ridge side.
I positioned the tripod against the barbed wire fence marking the posted property. A few barbs and sear goldenrod flowers just visible in the lower right corner.
No Pun Intended
Some sights from last post.
Moss on the edge of upper Taughannock Gorge cliff, with the falls in background far below.
The last flower of autumn, a single bloom of Ironweed.
Michael Stephen Wills Photography 