Krummholz Juniper, Olmsted Point
Eastern Sierra
Krummholz is German for "twisted wood" and is a growth form exhibited by trees at locations of great environmental stress, such as high elevations and high wind. Despite the protection of an adjacent erratic, this aged Juniper, on the crest of a boulder at Olmsted Point in Yosemite NP, is severly bent over with its only foliage on the leeward side. This scene was captured with the camera resting on the stone, looking up toward the tree and sky to eliminate any background distractions, using the crack in the stone as a leading line. Photo © copyright by Robert Faucher.