Tree Graveyard

The 2011 wildfires in Texas burned an unfathomable amount of the state, and the drought leading up to it caused massive disruption, esp to smaller livestock farmers that had to sell-off heads just to keep them alive.

I had hiked the Lost Pines Trail in Bastop State Park in 2010 (stunning!) and now just returned for a weekend camping trip last weekend. What a difference: The first image shows that the park today is largely a Graveyard of Trees, which is all that remains in much of the park and surrounding land. And the damage is still being done almost three years later. We had a thunderstorm on Saturday night and one of those massive pine trees went down maybe 200 yards from our tent. That was terrifying - seriously.

But in the second image, you can see that the park rangers are flagging all of the new growth in the park. There are fields of flags. It's bittersweet and inspirational, and a glimpse of the circle of life. Que 'Lion King' music here....

The last two shots are quite pleasant, showing you can still have a great time here. Hope you like 'em.

1. 22 mm-ISO 800-1-160 sec at f - 10

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/glimmer_man/13​070616075/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/glimmer_man/13​070947284/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/glimmer_man/13​070930284/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/glimmer_man/13​070956324/

Good shots.
If the landscape has living things there will be cycles of devastation.
Even what's left of the landscape here in the northeast after a rough winter is mostly flat grey/brown.