Continuing on with the Glenmore photo set:
This woodland of scots pine, juniper and birch is probably very similar to the first forests in Scotland, that sprang up in the wake of the retreating ice sheets. The landscape in the Cairngorms is so carved by the slow weight of glaciers and the torrents of melt water that to stand in these forests is to glimpse the far-distance past...
...with a few differences of course; the fabulous Irish elk that once roamed free in the Caledonian forest (probably occasionally getting its 6-foot antlers stuck in the trees) has been replaced by its slightly lesser cousins the red and roe deer, the beaver and the wolf have long gone.
But this part of Scotland is going back in time. Sheep and the all-pervasive red deer are being removed from the hillsides and the trees are creeping back, the hills are purple with heather in summer. The beaver and the sea eagle (but alas! not the Irish elk) have been reintroduced.
see also: weekend in black and white
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4 comments:
I love the texture of the trees foliage in the first shot and the one with the bare tree is very striking. All good shots.
Lovely pictures. The trees looks majestic.
Wonderful forest shots. I love the dramatic contrast of the second.
I enjoyed reading your post and your photos are gorgeous!
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