Today we woke up on Yellowstone! A storm hit us on the early morning, which definitely made me feel like I could sleep a bit more. Yet, we did wake up at 7am, and were ready to go by 8:40am. We went on a guided tour around the rim of the Yellowstone Canyon, where Ranger Cass told us about the early history of the park, and how it has been the inspiration of many. The rim provided us with spectacular views of the Yellowstone River and the land and slopes beside it. It’s probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen, and I actually would love to bring an easel to try to capture this view (but my skills fall way too short). So, I just decided to take pictures and try to reproduce them back in IL. Maybe someday I’ll come back with that purpose!
After the tour, we went to see the 300-foot drop waterfall, the Lower Falls, which had such as immense strength that it was hard not to feel moved and carried away by the current.
Later on, we also saw some of the thermal features of the park - geysers, springs, cauldrons. It was quite an interesting place that serves well to remind me of our proximity to a massive active volcano. The features also had a strong smell of sulfur! And, on a little tangent, it’s kind of funny how my sense of smell works for this, but not for things that smell good! My olfactory nerve is completely messed up lately!
In any case, I decided to pick today the Lodgepole Pine, or Pinus contorta, from the Pine family, of course! This tree comprises about 80% of the trees on the park and about 90-95% of the trees around the canyon. I thought it was funny how Ranger Cass depicted them as being regular on the outside and twisted on the inside, which many of us can relate - and, yes, we can! So, in physiological terms, the bark is straight as most other trees, but then the secondary cambium inside is contorted around its own axis, and this is what gives the species its name - P. contorta. In face, even their needles are twisted as well. That’s mainly why I decided to pick the Lodgepole, for being abundant and yet unique. Its cones are also very fascinating, as there are the main female cones that get normally dispersed, and the serotinous cones that may remain on the trees for years. The latter require heat above 113°F to have their resin melted, releasing their seeds. So, while the tree is quite susceptible to fire, its cones allow lodgepoles to be the first ones to emerge once again after a fire.
I admire this tree because it’s a valuable promoter of biodiversity. At Yellowstone, it helps bisons and bears to itch themselves, it allows birds to form high nests away from earthly predators. It also has considerably shallow roots, so it may often fall with a stronger breeze even. The fallen trees then serve as shelters for small animals and allow other organisms to be developed in the moist darkness. It makes me appreciate the intrinsic value of beings, and also how they can be extremely valuable to the ecosystem even when it looks plain and regular from the outside.
Journal entry by Deborah
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