In Asian countries such as Bali, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand it is quite common to find a water bowl filled with an arrangement of floating flowers and foliage as a form of reverence towards nature, a sign of welcome to visitors and a way to adorn your home with something beautiful.
Jenny Lake is one of the most visited areas in Grand Teton National Park. Tucked away at the base of the Teton Range, it is considered the focal point of Grand Teton’s National Park, Jenny Lake is home to numerous hiking trails, scenic boat rides and major climbing routes that must be seen to be believed. As you might expect, many of the things to do in Jenny Lake mainly focus upon the area’s natural beauty.
While the reflections of the Teton are hazy, the water at the shore is crystal clear.
Bodies of water at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming provide ample places to capture reflections of the Teton Range – whether clear or hazy
Excelsior Geyser Crater is a 200 x 300 foot crater that constantly discharges more than 4,000 gallons of water per minute into the Firehole River.
In Yellowstone National Park’s recorded history, Excelsior Geyser and Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin have exceeded Steamboat in size.
Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park is home to the largest active geyser in the world, Steamboat Geyser. Steamboat can reach 380 feet and its steam phase can be heard miles away. Unfortunately, Steamboat is rare, the last major eruption was in 1991.
There are several spots with bubbling hot water …..
The landscape at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is populated by areas with volcanic activity causing flowing water to boil and create steam.
Heat and volcanic gases from slowly cooling magma rise and warm the dense salty water that occupies fractured rocks above the Yellowstone magma chamber. That brine, in turn, transfers its heat to overlying fresh groundwater which is recharged by rainfall and snowmelt from the surface.
Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have continuously lived since the prehistoric age, according to the Interior Department. Between 2,300 and 5,500 bison live in Yellowstone, according to the Park Service.
Since our visit was in September, most bison had already left Hayden Valley, but here are some by a watering hole.
While flowing water in a river bed seems normal, if you observe closely the rocks and pebbles create nature’s mosaic
Reflections of ordinary trees cast vivid, Monet-like, images in the water
Hydrangeas are some of the most beautiful flowers in the world with over 75 species. “Hydor” means water and “angos” means jar or vessel, emphasizing the need to water this particular flower often. Hydrangeas don’t have petals, but sepals, which are leaves that protect the flower bud. Only after they age do they turn from green to the pigmented colors you see. Here is a sampling from Hickory, North Carolina.
Before all the gushing torrent into Linville Falls, water gently flows in Linville River surrounded by greenery
Significant rain storms increase the flow of water gushing at Upper Linville Falls, North Carolina
After the gushing torrent from Price Lake Dam, water gently flows over the rocks going down the stream
The Bewick’s Swan is a sub-species of the native Tundra Swan seen in North America. The Bewick’s swan is much smaller and has a shorter and straighter neck than the whooper and mute swan. The yellow shape on its beak is like a blob of butter, while a whooper swan’s seems like a wedge of cheese.
Here is Bewick’s Swan on abstract water ripples at Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Sumter, SC
Swans swimming in water with ripples creates interesting reflections at Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Sumter, SC
A Whooper Swan framed by abstract water formations swims at Swan Lake Iris Gardens in Sumter, SC
A sheltered spot to relax by the ocean while viewing the turquoise waters and blue sky
Another simple design of nature – ripples in the sand under the waters of a lake
The wonderful thing about using reflections when taking photos is that they can completely alter the image from something fairly straightforward to something richer or abstract or otherwise more artistic. Here is a reflection of the landscape at sunset in a small body of water.
Colorful flowers provide an attractive foreground to the water, sky, clouds and landscape at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
Photos by Ravi 