Another Winner - Disappearing Hemlock

In Blue Space Gallery newest exhibition Live - Earth, Fire, Air, Water "Disappearing Hemlock" is a top finalist. Being recognized in a mostly non-photographic show is always an honor. 

During my artist residency at Great Smoky Mountains NP, golden rays bathed the forest mixing with scents of fall - all spice, cinnamon and lemon. I stood there and envisioned this abstract photograph completely composed in camera while I took the image. Not until later did I learn the signifcance of this scene taken at day's end i the Great Smoky Mountains. It's  beauty belying massive destruction all around the forest from insect pests.

Hemlocks help maintain the shade and cool habitats needed by other species to thrive, such as native trout. Although hemlocks can live up to 600 years, a woolly adelgid, a nonnative species insect, believed to have been brought into the park through non-native firewood, can kill a tree in just three to 10 years. The infestation has killed-off millions of hemlock trees in the Smokies since first discovered in 2002. Park Rangers have been aggressively innoculating the trees so will survive abd thrive again.

https://www.bluespacegallery.com/current-exhibition
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