Burned Out Sawgrass

Gallery: Man & FaunaPosted June 16, 2011440 views6 comments

This is what was sawgrass, and will be again. I took this image 3 days after wildfires raged through this part of the Everglades, leaving nothing but black soot and stubs of plant life.
Sawgrass is tall grass with a 3 sided blade, each side notched with fine saw-like teeth. It will tear flesh instantly, which is why animals and man avoid it, although alligators make nests in it.

D3s 35mm f/11 0.3 secs, tripod.

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on June 16, 2011 at 9:55 PM

Sounds like evolution has given sawgrass a definite edge

Seriously, I like learning about these things and admire how adapted species can be . . . including gators.

Was this a man-caused fire or was it natural? Either way, it sounds like sawgrass knows how to take the heat.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Hank Pennington on June 18, 2011 at 9:57 AM

Boy, from the sounds of it saw grass is pretty well adapted to fire. The brightly colored stalks against the black background really emphasize a latent potential for this to rebound.

Two things really make this shot for me- There's a really neat pattern to the repeating forms of the yellow/orange stalks. And, your careful exposure and focus reveal great detail in the black areas. This would lose a lot of impact without the detail in the black, but with so much to see there along with the orange patterns and a little green, my eyes can't decide whether to linger or keep moving through the frame. There are rewards for both.

Excellent.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 226 Posts, 1532 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on June 22, 2011 at 8:06 PM

Congrats on the fine WP!
Great image and a tribute to the resiliance of nature.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Manoj Vallati on June 24, 2011 at 4:26 PM

Good shot.. now I know why they are called saw grass...
I like the million shoots stretching to infinity and could feel the burnt of this area

Registered on February 24, 2011, 49 Posts, 148 Comments

Comment posted by Don Mc Donald on June 24, 2011 at 8:01 PM

Congrats buddy, great shot, I was out there yesterday and this stuff is already about a foot tall, it's amazing what mother nature can do.

Registered on December 3, 2009, 25 Posts, 67 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on June 28, 2011 at 7:34 PM

Wayne - I've stopped and just soaked in several of your images over the months I've been on NPN, but this one really is a fantastic piece of photographic art. It makes a strong statement, is visually compelling, and the balance created by the dark grey foreground graduating perfectly to a golden background is stunning. Just absolutely nailed it, in my opinion!

And congrats on the weekly pick, it certainly was in my thoughts that this should be so recognized!

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments