Tag: Tompkins County

Across the Plain

Across the Plain

Sere grasses

MichaelStephenWills3 Comments

The Finger Lakes are formed by a series of inclined planes spread across central New York State.

Here we look northwest across the land between Cayuga and Seneca lakes, all forests and farm land. Seneca Lake is not visible,15 miles distant, and the Finger Lakes National Forest in between.

The only town is Hector, New York, population 4,854 in the 2,000 census. The foreground are sere grasses, a field of beef cattle and pond.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • Across the Plain
    Across the Plain
Click to view this series on Getty.

Autumn Apple Orchard, landscape orientation

compare portrait vs. landscape orientation.

MichaelStephenWills10 Comments

Unharvested apples on the ground and branches of this apple orchard off Black Oak Road on the slopes of Connecticut Hill, Newfield in the Finger Lakes of New York.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • Autumn Apple Orchard, portrait
Click to view this series on Getty.

Autumn Apple Orchard, portrait orientation

apples cling into winter

MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

Unharvested apples on the ground and branches of this apple orchard off Black Oak Road on the slopes of Connecticut Hill, Newfield in the Finger Lakes of New York.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • Autumn Apple Orchard, portrait
Click to view this series on Getty.
Connecticut Hill Autumn View with Cayuta Lake

Black Oak View

Autumn Ridge

MichaelStephenWills1 Comment

Black Oak Road approaches Connecticut Hill from the north. At this point a long view to west opens up that include Cayuta Lake and the distant highlands of Seneca Lake.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
Click to view my Finger Lakes photography on Getty.
Bostwick Road, October

Autumn Road

A Long View

MichaelStephenWills14 Comments

Here we have a vista of Bostwick Road descent off West hill into the Enfield valley and, then, in the distance, up Harvey Hill. Late autumn foliage graces the scene.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • Bostwick Road, October
    Bostwick Road, October
Click to view this series on Getty.

Finger Lakes National Forest 6

the long watch

MichaelStephenWills3 Comments

The ancient wisdom of trees.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • 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.

Click me for the next post of this series.

Click me for the first post of this series.

Finger Lakes National Forest 5

leaf litter eternal

MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

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.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.

Click me for the next post of this series.

Click me for the first post of this series.

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.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.

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

Click me for the next post of this series.

Click me for the first post of this series.

Finger Lakes National Forest 3

compare portrait vs. landscape orientation.

MichaelStephenWills1 Comment

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.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.

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.

Click me for another Finger Lakes Autumn post.

Finger Lakes National Forest 2

compare portrait vs. landscape orientation.

MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

An open road, autumn morning, a hiking trail under a setting moon. Thirty miles of hiking trails thread these 16,212 acres. Some, like the Backbone trail, traverse farmland reverted to forest and meadow, popular for horseback riding.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
Click me for another Finger Lakes Autumn post.