I'm returning to edit my Smoky Mountain photos, and I hoped one of my photos of the "dead" Spruce-fir trees at the summit of Clingman's Dome would give an artistic impression of these white, dead trees-- literally ghosts. They are dying because of an insect pest. To see where I was standing see: http://365project.org/darylo/album4/2015-11-05
Here is what I found on the National Park's website:
"What's killing the trees at Clingmans Dome?
The balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) is an insect pest that infests and kills stands of Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) in the spruce-fir zone. This fir occurs naturally only in the southern Appalachians and used to be the dominant tree at the highest elevations. The adelgid was introduced on trees imported from Europe, and the fir has little natural defense against it. By injecting the tree with toxins, the adelgid blocks the path of nutrients through the tree. The trees literally starve to death, and thousands of dead snags are all that are left on the highest mountain peaks.
A "cousin" of this insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid, is killing hemlock trees throughout the park. Hemlocks killed by this second type of adelgid are visible along Newfound Gap Road."
So sad that the trees are dying. We had a similar pest killing the trees in our local mountains a few years back. Nature works in mysterious ways.
I like your shot in b&w-- makes the trees stand out!
Lovely image, but what a shame about the trees. I do believe it's the same for many trees in South Dakota - I remember being told about it when we were there a couple of years ago.
Such a shame that this devastation is occurring! It makes for a beautiful picture that with nice contrast between the snags and the still living trees though!
@grammyn Ok, so I'm looking at the right of my screen and it says this made the popular page...Um, what? One fave and 11 views/comments. Something is wrong with that formula. I return to my belief in magic monkeys!
I like your shot in b&w-- makes the trees stand out!