I'm Never Alone
by Lucinda Walter
Title
I'm Never Alone
Artist
Lucinda Walter
Medium
Photograph - Photographs, Photography, Digital Art, Fine Art
Description
I'm Never Alone by Lucinda Walter
A lone tree among the rocks at Joshua Tree National Park, California.
All images are copyright © Lucinda Walter. The materials contained may not be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or downloaded in any way, shape or form. All rights are reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the Artist is strictly prohibited.
Joshua Tree National Park is immense, nearly 800,000 acres, and infinitely variable. It can seem unwelcoming, even brutal during the heat of summer when, in fact, it is delicate and extremely fragile. This is a land shaped by strong winds, sudden torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Rainfall is sparse and unpredictable. Streambeds are usually dry and waterholes are few. Viewed in summer, this land may appear defeated and dead, but within this parched environment are intricate living systems waiting for the opportune moment to reproduce. The individuals, both plant and animal, that inhabit the park are not individualists. They depend on their entire ecosystem for survival.
Two deserts, two large ecosystems primarily determined by elevation, come together in the park. Few areas more vividly illustrate the contrast between “high” and “low” desert. Below 3,000 feet (910 m), the Colorado Desert (part of the Sonoran Desert), occupying the eastern half of the park, is dominated by the abundant creosote bush. Adding interest to this arid land are small stands of spidery ocotillo and cholla cactus.
The higher, slightly cooler, and wetter Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the undisciplined Joshua tree, extensive stands of which occur throughout the western half of the park. According to legend, Mormon pioneers considered the limbs of the Joshua trees to resemble the upstretched arms of Joshua leading them to the promised land. Others were not as visionary. Early explorer John Fremont described them as “…the most repulsive tree in the vegetable Kingdom.”
Standing like islands in a desolate sea, oases provide dramatic contrast to their arid surroundings. Five fan palm oases dot the park, indicating those few areas where water occurs naturally at or near the surface, meeting the special life requirements of those stately trees. Oases once serving earlier desert visitors now abound in wildlife.
The park encompasses some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California’s deserts. Rugged mountains of twisted rock and exposed granite monoliths testify to the tremendous earth forces that shaped and formed this land. Arroyos, playas, alluvial fans, bajadas, pediments, desert varnish, granites, aplite, and gneiss interact to form a giant mosaic of immense beauty and complexity.
As old as the desert may look, it is but a temporary phenomenon in the incomprehensible time-scale of geology. In more verdant times, one of the Southwest’s earliest inhabitants, members of the Pinto Culture, lived in the now dry Pinto Basin. Later, Indians traveled through this area in tune with harvests of pinyon nuts, mesquite beans, acorns, and cactus fruit, leaving behind rock paintings and pottery ollas as reminders of their passing.
In the late 1800s cattlemen came to the desert. They built dams to create water tanks. They were followed by miners who tunneled the earth in search of gold. They are gone now, but they left behind the Lost Horse and Desert Queen mines and the Keys Ranch. In the 1930s homesteaders came seeking free land and the chance to start new lives. Today many people come to the park’s 794,000 acres of open space seeking clear skies and clean air, and the peace and tranquility, the quietude and beauty, only deserts offer.
The life force is patient here. Desert vegetation, often appearing to have succumbed to this hot sometimes unrelentedly dry environment, lies dormant, awaiting the rainfall and moderate weather that will trigger its growth, painting the park a profusion of colors. At the edges of daylight and under clear night skies lives a number of generally unfamiliar desert animals. Waiting out daytime heat, these creatures run, hop, crawl, and burrow in the slow rhythm of desert life. Under bright sun and blue sky, bighorn sheep and golden eagles add an air of unconcerned majesty to this land.
For all its harshness, the desert is a land of extreme fragility. Today’s moment of carelessness may leave lasting scars or disrupt an intricate system of life that has existed for eons. When viewed from the roadside, the desert only hints at its hidden life. To the close observer, a tiny flower bud or a lizard’s frantic dash reveals a place of beauty and vitality. Take your time as you travel through Joshua Tree National Park. The desert provides space for self-discovery, and can be a refuge for the human spirit.
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/desertpark.htm
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November 4th, 2016
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Comments (18)
Mother Nature
F/L. This is superb! I love B&W, and this is a great image to present that way. Congratulations on your feature in A Tree or Trees in Black & White:>)
Lucinda Walter
Thank you very much Calvin Boyer for the feature in the group A Tree or Trees in Black and White. 9/26/2020 I'm honored
Calvin Boyer
In addition to the banner, I am adding this more permanent recognition of its FEATURE on the homepage of A TREE OR TREES IN BLACK AND WHITE. I try mightily to feature only images that would be at home in a juried competition. No doubt that this image fits that bill. CONGRATULATIONS! And consider adding your image to DISCUSSIONS "Please post your featured photograph here" for greater, long-lasting visibility.
Lucinda Walter
Thank you very much Ann Keisling for the feature in the group Ladies Who Love Photography 12/22/2016 I'm honored
Nikolyn McDonald
A very nice Southwest landscape scene with an excellent variety of shapes and textures that are accentuated by the black and white presentation.
Guido Strambio
Excellent composition with the beautiful lone tree and the rocks on the right, gorgeous dramatic light! l/f/Tw
Lucinda Walter
Congratulations! Your beautiful work is featured in the group "One Tree - Not Trees" 11/04/2016
Lucinda Walter
Thank you very much Allan for the feature in The Grayscale Outdoors group. 11/4/2016 I'm honored
Allan Van Gasbeck
Congratulations! Your outstanding artwork has been chosen as a FEATURE in the “The Grayscale Outdoors” group on Fine Art America — You are invited to post your featured image to the featured image discussion thread as a permanent place to continue to get exposure even after the image is no longer on the Home Page.