Nature

Brilliant colors
Air so fresh
Life renewed

Emerging to greet the warming sun, new leaves begin to appear and cover traces of yesterday.

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.” – John Muir

Winding waterway
Along shorelines
Marine grasses

Life reciprocates with the physical environment. Over millions of years, evolving species learn how to survive through varying existential conditions. Supporting rich environmental biodiversity on the sound side of the Outer Banks, much of the shoreline is bordered by prolific marsh grass.

“The habitats formed by seagrasses are home to many different creatures that make it a complex ecosystem.” – Aimee Lee

Condition response
Geologic transgression
Fluctuating infrastructure

The false impression of stability has little effect on sea encroachment. Obviously certain environmental circumstances are extremely dynamic.

“ The barrier islands undergo continual change in position. Because oceanic overwash plays an essential role in this process, an unbalanced situation is developing wherever artificial barrier dunes have been built.” – Robert Dolan

Coastal landforms
Distinct features
Quite shallow

Considered an estuary, the average depth of the Outer Banks sound system is just three feet, with an occasional deeper recess. Sandwiched between landforms and sheltered from the open ocean and its turbulence, the water surface is relatively calm.

“The Currituck Sound is a nature lover’s playground, offering ample access to wide open spaces of shallow, easy to navigate open water, dense thickets of maritime forest, and small, marshy islands that are covered in wildlife.” – Travis

Nature relationships
Analogous harmony
Light form mood

The colors of gray are subdued and reserved, offering a stable base from which elegance can emerge. Sophisticated subtilty elicits cool enthusiasm.

“It is the eye of ignorance that assigns a fixed and unchangeable color to every object; beware of this stumbling block.” – Paul Gauguin

Chance dependence
Uncertain conditions
Probabilistic potential

Distinctly standing over mineral spring water runoff, dead tree carcasses linger in Yellowstone geothermal areas. At one time in the not too distant past, hot mineral baths were colloquially believed to have curative powers.

“The change saddens them, and they prefer to see the region as it exists in memory rather than in its modern reality.” – Hiram Martin Chittenden

Yet more wonders
Hot water release
Fumarole illumination

As with all things and associated appearances, nothing lasts forever. Geothermal features in the Norris Geyser Basin move around as time proceeds.

“Very little water is thrown out, while a large quantity of steam is constantly escaping, producing a peculiar sound.” – A.B. Guptill

Hydrogeochemical significance
Contextualize eloquently
Black sand basin

When in contact with cold winter air, hot spring water creates copious steam. The morning sun breaks through to illuminate frozen tree tops in a display of sublime wonder.

“Fill a thin goblet with Crème de Menthe, on the top drop a few “beads” of absinthe, and you will have a faint, only a faint idea of the glistening green glory of Emerald Pool, which can be compared to nothing unless one can imagine liquefied Chinese fire or the unknown, unnamable tones seen under the influence of an anesthetic or during delirium.” – Lee H. Whittlesey

Correct conditions
Already acclimated
Dense branches

Plant growth juxtaposition indicates divergent environmental adaptation strategies.

“Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is.” – Herman Hesse

Highly adaptable
Composite organism
Community recognized

Approximately six percent of the Earth’s land surface is covered by lichens. Specimens of symbiotic survival, lichens have no roots and feed solely on oxygen, mineral-laden moisture, and sunlight. The fungi component holds the needed moisture while the algae component converts sunlight into food. Photosynthetic partners both benefit.

“One could speculate that lichens would be among the last inhabitants to succumb on a dying earth at some distant point in the future.” – Steven L. Stephenson