Tagged: trees

Awe-inspiring Adventure in the Grove of Titans & Giant California Redwoods [40 PICS]

April 7th, 2014 Permalink

Nature is calling, come out and play; explore and have an awe-inspiring adventure among the giant California redwoods. Here among the fog and trees, sunlight peaks through in god-beams, or crepuscular rays. It’s said that tree-loving people travel from all over the world to visit Redwood National and State Parks, which include Redwood National Park, Del Norte Coast, Prairie Creek and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Parks. They are not the only California parks with impressive redwoods; Muir Woods National Monument is a sight everyone should see at least once. Yet many visitors to Jedediah Smith will never behold the ginormous redwoods known as the Grove of Titans; that’s because their location is a “secret” in order to protect the massive and ancient trees. [40 Photos]

The Unexplored adventure in the Redwoods

The Unexplored. Nature is calling to you, asking if you can come out and play under the ginormous redwoods. These redwoods have huge diameters and are almost impossibly tall, like nature-made skyscrapers, trees taller than the iconic Statue of Liberty, from the base of her pedestal to the tip of her torch. Some folks who walk among the giants claim that the adventure is awe-inspiring and changed their lives. As naturalist John Muir, known as Father of the National Parks, once said, “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” Photo #1 by m24instudio

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Living Rainbow: Rainbow Eucalyptus, Most Beautiful Tree Bark on Earth [36 PICS]

January 29th, 2013 Permalink

Does a living rainbow exist? Yes! Extremely cool yet natural outdoor coloring can be found under the shade of this living rainbow. The Rainbow Eucalyptus is truly one of the most amazingly stunning trees and it definitely has the most beautiful bark of any tree on Earth. [36 Photos]

Rainbow Eucalyptus

While this may appear to be a cool tree with camouflaged bark, it actually continues to morph in all the colors of a rainbow. If you enjoy the forest, then you probably like trees. This isn’t Somewhere Over the Rainbow, but somewhere under the rainbow, so if you don’t live in a warm, moist climate, then you might not have ever come across the most beautiful bark of any tree on Earth. With bright and uniquely-colored trunk and branches, the Rainbow Eucalyptus is “one of the most amazingly colorful species of tree,” noted the photographer. Photo #1 by Roberto Verzo

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Mesmerized by Stunning, Spooky Spanish Moss Hanging from Ancient Trees

October 7th, 2012 Permalink

One of the first things to strike you with a sense of wonder when you visit the deep South is the grandeur of beautiful, draping Spanish moss decorating the huge trees. While the hanging moss has a mysterious appeal for people not used to seeing such natural beauty, Spanish moss-draped live oak trees thrive in the southeastern United States. If you don’t live there, then the charming and somewhat spooky appearance of the silver-gray strands, hanging like natural Halloween decorations, summon images of old plantations, bayous and the swamps like seen in movies. The fall season and bright foliage of northern colder climates steal the show during autumn, but for portions of the south, Spanish moss is a show stopper year-round. When it sways in the wind at night, this tangled ‘tree hair,’ as the Native Americans called it, is both eerie and intriguing. French explorers dubbed it ‘Spanish Beard’ as an insult, so the Spanish then named this moss ‘French Hair.’ It’s been used as bedding, stuffing, upholstery, insulation, mulch, medicine and in arts and crafts; it’s even been used as an ingredient in making voodoo dolls. Yet this flowering plant, is is not even a true moss. It’s a distant member of the pineapple family and grows until it looks like it’s dripping from large trees. It can grow over 25 feet long and does not kill the giant, ancient trees. Here’s a look at some stunning, spooky Spanish Moss. [48 Photos]

St Helena Chapel of Ease, South Carolina, a stunning example of the Spanish Moss that grows on trees in South Carolina

St. Helena Chapel of Ease, South Carolina, a stunning example of the Spanish Moss that grows on trees in South Carolina. This moss grows well in Southeastern America, such as the area comprising the extreme southern portion of Virginia and the Gulf Coast country from Florida to Texas in varying quantities. It mostly grows on larger cypress, gum trees, oaks, elms, and pecan trees. Spanish moss for commercial quantities grows in the lower Mississippi Valley and especially in the swamp lands like in Louisiana and Florida or where the rainfall is heavy. Photo #1 by Nick (puritani35)

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Kaleidoscope of Autumn Colors is Heaven on Earth [46 PICS]

October 7th, 2011 Permalink

There is no doubt that ISS astronauts have enviable and breathtaking views of Earth, but when the fall season transforms foliage into a kaleidoscope of colors–rich hues of reds, yellows, oranges and browns, autumn is heaven as seen on Earth. As fall bursts upon the forests, changing them from green to vivid autumn colors, the tantalizing seasonal change can be seen from space. Yet astronauts may envy us for our beautiful view. Here’s a look autumn as seen from high above Earth, then zooming down to enjoy Indian Summer and the kaleidoscope of autumn colors that make our great planet a bedazzling fall spectacular. [46 Photos]

Autumn Waterfall at Sunset

Waterfall during an autumn sunset. When scenes are as beautiful as this, it makes us want to dive right into the picture to live in that captured moment. Photo #1 by Forest Wander

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Olympic National Park: One of the wildest places left in the USA [36 PICS]

July 1st, 2011 Permalink

Olympic National Park in Washington offers a bit of everything for nature lovers, hikers and adventurers like Pacific Ocean beaches, rain forest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a dazzling diversity of plants and animals. 95% of this park is still wilderness, making Olympic Wilderness one of the wildest places left in the lower 48 states. The National Park Service says, “This year, nearly 40,000 people will camp in the Olympic Wilderness and several hundred thousand people will take day hikes and walks. Olympic is fragile. But if we care for Olympic, we can preserve its wildness and grandeur for future generations.” In this awe-inspiring national park, visitors can go from glacier, to marvelous moss-draped wilderness, to the sea in one amazing day. [36 Photos]

Olympic National Park - Maple Glade Trail

Maple Glade Trail. It’s supposed to be a humbling experience to stand amidst such giants in the ancient forests of Olympic National Park. Photo #1 by rachel_thecat

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Wicked Storm Ripped Through, Ravaging Southern Indiana

May 26th, 2011 Permalink

As darkness fell, southern Indiana was pounded yet again by powerful storms. Tornado sirens were wailing and citizens were advised to take shelter immediately. In Warrick County, school activities were cancelled and most Wednesday night church services were as well as residents battened down the hatches and waited to see what the latest severe storm would bring. I was told that right as 90 to 105 mph wind gusts ripped through, the power went poof! At least 20,000 homes rode out the storm in utter darkness as the wind howled and houses were hammered with blowing debris. Thursday morning, Boonville, Indiana, residents awoke to downed power lines, trees on roofs, trees squashing houses, trees ripped from their roots and overturned. Decks, patios, missing siding, and chunks of roofs, as well as other debris was scattered on lawns, sidewalks and streets. Yet thank God they were fortunate for no one died. Haubstadt, Indiana, had the most damage. Evansville was slammed too. Not much was said about Boonville, but it appears to have been hit pretty darn hard! (Warning: I’m not much of a photographer) but here’s a little tour through Boonville, Indiana, a small town of good-hearted people. [25 Photos]

Help arrives for house with tree squashing it after storms in Boonville Indiana

At this time, the storm has not been called a tornado. It is thought to have been straight-line wind shears, microbursts, gusting from 90 to 105 mph. Here help arrives for a house with a huge tree squashing it after storms hammered Boonville, Indiana. Photo #1 by codepoet

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