The wildlife at Yellowstone National Park is as good as it gets in our national parks. The shots below were taken in a span of just one year including winter. Probably why I voted YNP as the best national park.
                                       That’s All Folks!
I was about 50 feet from this coyote at Yellowstone National Park when this one let out a sound that is still ringing in my ears . I just wish I was recording the sound. I don’t think the coyote knew I was so close.
“Howling is a basic communication behavior in coyotes,” says Gary San Julian, a Penn State University professor of wildlife resources. “It has several functions. One is to call the pack—really a family group—back together again after a period of individual hunting. A second reason that coyotes howl is to advertise their presence to other packs, essentially warning those other family groups against trespassing across territorial boundaries.”
Per request by a fellow blogger, I’ve presented the Best of 2014 so you can watch at your own speed. I’ve also added some pics. You can purchase these images as prints that I print myself (Low Cost) at Dawn2Dawn Photography  Each print is signed and numbered.
Yellowstone National Park is a wonderland of waterways. Living in the parched desert of Southern Utah, I was jealous of the vast network of waterfalls and rivers that are ubiquitous in the park. During my recent trip to Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons, I was amazed how green and lush the landscape was. And don’t forget the hot waters from springs that generate a myriad of colors from the bacteria that flourish there. Click on image for larger view. To purchase prints of these images and the latest go to What’s New!
I arrived at the entrance of Grand Teton National Park around 2pm. I asked the ranger if the heavy cloud cover would lift. You could not see The Tetons at all. Like a conservative weatherman, he said the chances were 50/50. I drove in and around the park and basically bided my time for conditions to improve. And finally the clouds began lifting along with my spirits. I did start at Schwabackers Landing where the skies began to brighten. See Previous Post .
The GOOD is that the cloud cover was lifting. The BAD was that I dropped my camera onto the sidewalk trying to set up around sunset. I was in too much of a hurry and the camera wasn’t properly secured to the ball head. I shot these images and the ones in my previous post in about 5 hours, so I was moving fast. Too fast. The camera worked fine but the lens was hard to zoom. I guess it could have been worse. The Tetons were exhibiting major mood swings by this time, just like I was. THE BEAUTIFUL- The photos below that I took after the accident! Click on photo for larger view.
Storm clouds float past The Grand Teton at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Music by Escondido(Black Roses) which can be purchased at I Tunes
Raindrops, Ripples, Reflecting Pond, Rainbow Trout, Rock Throwing, Revolving Clouds, all in the foreground to the magnificent Tetons at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. WATCH IN HiDef AT FULL SCREEN. Music by Tame Impala. (Apocalypse Dreams) You can get their latest album, Lonerism, at Itunes
Clepsydra Geyser is a perpetual geyser. Before the 1959 Lake Hegben Earthquake near Yellowstone, it erupted every 3 minutes. Clepsydra is a Greek term for water clock. because you could tell time by its eruptions. Now it just goes on and on with eruptions up to 45 feet high. Watch at HiDef at Full Screen
Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming is special. Click on image for larger view.
Just because you’re first doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the best. But there is a reason why Yellowstone was named the first national park on March 1, 1872 by President Ulysses Grant. Its biodiversity and geologic wonders are what grabbed the attention of Congress through the photos and paintings of Jackson and Moran respectively during the 1871 Hayden Expedition into Yellowstone. What makes Yellowstone unique is its 67 species of wildlife, 322 species of birds, 16 species of fish, eleven hundred species of flowering plants, 7 species of conifers, over 10,000 geothermal features including more than 300 geysers(half of Earth’s total), approximately 300 waterfalls, beautiful, crystal clear rivers and one gigantic caldera. No national park has all of these natural resources to offer including those in Alaska. Below are images that capture the diversity of Yellowstone. All photos were captured by Michael Just and Dawn2Dawn Photography.
And the wildlife…….
And waterways……
And the flora…….
