Scenes from Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Snake River, looking toward Mount Moran, in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Here are a couple of snapshots from the area around Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  The first, taken from the banks of the Snake River, shows Mount Moran, elevation 12, 605 feet (3,842 meters).  The mountain is located in Grand Teton National Park.

The second photo, below,  shows Jenny Lake, situated at the base of Grand Teton National Park's Cascade Canyon.  There is a nice seven-mile hiking trail around the perimeter of the lake.

Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Orange Spring Mound at Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs

Orange Spring Mound,  Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

This photo shows the Orange Spring Mound, one of many curious features in the Mammoth Hot Springs area of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

The National Park Service tells us:

Bacteria and algae create the streaks of color on Orange Spring Mound. It is noticeably different from many of the other terrace formations nearby. Its large mounded shape is the result of very slow water flow and mineral deposition.

You can learn more about Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs and see photos of many of the geologic formations there by visiting the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces Tour.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Location:  Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

I was on my belly in the grass, inching along, trying to sneak up on a certain Canada Goose so I could take its picture.  I glanced off to my left just in time to see this other goose sneaking up on me!   I quickly decided to photograph this curious onlooker instead of the bird I had been tracking.

Principal Peaks of the Teton Range

The Teton Range

Location:  Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

The peaks that form the Teton Range of the Rocky Mountains are located in western Wyoming.  This photo of the central massif was shot facing west from a spot in the Jackson Hole valley known as Windy Point. The peaks in this image, from left to right, are:

• South Teton -- summit elevation 12, 514 ft   (3,814 m)
• Middle Teton -- summit elevation 12,804 ft  (3,903 m)
• Grand Teton -- summit elevation 13,770 ft  (4,200 m)
• Mount Owen -- summit elevation 12,928 ft  (3,940 m)
• Teewinot Mountain -- summit elevation  12,325 ft (3,757 m)

The Teton range is situated within the borders of Grand Teton National Park.

European Starling in non-breeding plumage

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Location:  Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

Here is a little factoid about this very common bird that I'll bet you didn't know.  According to the entry for the European Starling on WhatBird.com's Field Guide to Birds of North America:

All of the 200 million European Starlings found in North America today are descendants of approximately 100 birds released in New York City's Central Park in the early 1890s by an industrialist who wanted to establish, in the U.S., all birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare.

Who knew??

Needles and Cone of the Lodgepole Pine

Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)

Location:  Jackson, Wyoming, USA

The Lodgepole Pine is native to North America and is  abundant in the Rocky Mountains, from the Yukon in the north, to Colorado in the south.  The trees are ecologically suited to higher elevations, above 6,000 feet.  The trees typically have single, very straight trunks.  In earlier times, American Indians used the younger trees of this species for erecting tepee lodges, hence the common name.   Today the timber is used for construction and pulp.

Canada Goose in Profile

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Location:  Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

We saw a large flock of Canada Geese on a grassy patch next to a marsh near the edge of the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Most of the geese seemed skittish and shy, but this individual let me get close enough for this portrait.

Portrait of a Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Location:  Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

Camera in hand, I was attempting to sneak up on this guy from behind.  He heard me approach, and swiveled his head around to glare at me as I pressed the shutter release.

Bison grazing in the sage at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

American Bison (Bison bison)

Location:  Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA

Although you wouldn't guess it from its huge size, the American Bison is strictly a plant eater.  We learned that Bison primarily eat grass, but we spotted this individual grazing on sage in a meadow near the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Kayaking on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park

Kayaking on the Snake River at Oxbow Bend

Location:  Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA

This past September my husband and I vacationed in Wyoming, where we visited both Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park.  Both were dream destinations for a nature photographer.  This is the first of many photos I will post from that trip.

P.S.  I wrote a short article about that trip as an invited guest post for the "Remembering 2010 Travels" series on the Harrisburg International Airport blog:  Wyoming’s Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks: Wild America