Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

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  • Unusual dark chaotic storm clouds fill the sky over Black Nubble Mountain in Kingfield, Maine
    _LPA7521-storm-clouds-sky-mountain-b...tif
  • Unusual dark chaotic storm clouds fill the sky over Black Nubble Mountain in Kingfield, Maine
    _LPA7516-storm-clouds-sky-mountain-b...tif
  • Unusual dark chaotic storm clouds fill the sky over Black Nubble Mountain in Kingfield, Maine
    _LPA7544-storm-clouds-sky-mountain-b...tif
  • Unusual dark chaotic storm clouds fill the sky over Black Nubble Mountain in Kingfield, Maine, on eof which resembles a dolphin head.
    _LPA7529-storm-clouds-sky-mountain-d...tif
  • A cloud bank on the western horizon hides half of the sun while the remainder glows red, lighting the Gulf of Mexico below and the clouds above.
    _LPA5176-sunset-sun-gulf-of-mexico-o...tif
  • Above the painted desert in Arizona, sheets of heavy rain glow pink at sunset beneath the white clouds of an approaching storm.  The Painted Desert encompasses over 93,500 acres, stretching for over 160 miles, and derives its name for the multitude of colors ranging from lavenders to shades of gray with vibrant reds, oranges and pink.  The area is a long expanse of badland hills and buttes which, although barren and austere, encompass a rainbow of colors due to the colorful sediments of bentonite clay and sandstone. <br />
<br />
The desert is composed of stratified layers of easily erodible siltstone, mudstone, and shale of the Triassic Chinle Formation. These fine-grained rock layers contain abundant iron and manganese compounds which provide the pigments for the various colors of the region.<br />
<br />
The Painted Desert was named by an expedition under Francisco Vázquez de Coronado on his 1540 quest to find the Seven Cities of Cibola, which he located some forty miles east of here. Discovering that the cities were not made of gold, Coronado sent an expedition to find the Colorado River for supplies. The group passed through the colorful landscape and named the area "El Desierto Pintado" - The Painted Desert.
    _LPA0513-Edit-storm-clouds-rain-suns...tif
  • A Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stands silhouetted against a stormy sunset within the 57,930 acre Saguaro National Park in Arizona.  Composed of 85% water, these 50-foot-tall giants can weigh over 8 tons and are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.  <br />
<br />
On this particular winter evening, the heavy storm clouds parted to the west shortly before sunset.  As the sun dropped below the horizon, it lit the underside of the stormy sky causing it to blaze with color for less than 5 minutes before the spectacle vanished even more quickly than it had appeared.
    _LPA5543-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • The sun sets over the Gulf of Mexico behind a mangrove at Rabbit Key in the Everglades as storm clouds approach.
    _LPA5163-sunset-everglades-gulf-of-m...tif
  • Clouds shroud the cliffs and peaks between West Temple and the Altar of Sacrifice in Zion National Park after a winter snowstorm.
    _LPA4842-zion-cliffs-snow-utah-templ...tif
  • The horizon is awash in color for but a few minutes after the sun sets in the Painted Desert, Arizona.  The Painted Desert encompasses over 93,500 acres, stretching for over 160 miles, and derives its name for the multitude of colors ranging from lavenders to shades of gray with vibrant reds, oranges and pink – colors observed here in the evening clouds.  The area is a long expanse of badland hills and buttes which, although barren and austere, encompass a rainbow of colors due to the colorful sediments of bentonite clay and sandstone. <br />
<br />
The desert is composed of stratified layers of easily erodible siltstone, mudstone, and shale of the Triassic Chinle Formation. These fine-grained rock layers contain abundant iron and manganese compounds which provide the pigments for the various colors of the region.<br />
<br />
The Painted Desert was named by an expedition under Francisco Vázquez de Coronado on his 1540 quest to find the Seven Cities of Cibola, which he located some forty miles east of here. Discovering that the cities were not made of gold, Coronado sent an expedition to find the Colorado River for supplies. The group passed through the colorful landscape and named the area "El Desierto Pintado" - The Painted Desert.
    _LPA0527-Edit-desert-sunset-purple-o...tif
  • Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stand in silhouette before the clouds of a passing storm and veils of mist from the recent rain, glowing from the Arizona desert sunset.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5458-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • A leafless Foothill Palo Verde tree (Cercidium microphyllum) catches the last light of the day as sunset approaches in Saguaro National Park outside Tucson, Arizona.  The Foothill Palo Verde is one of the most widespread trees of the Sonoran Desert and, although they may live for several hundred years, they are exceedingly slow-growing and typically only reach a height of 10-15 feet (rarely 25-30 feet have been reported). These trees have a very deep root system and are “branch deciduous” with a tendency to have basal branches die-off during periods of severe drought – thus becoming a smaller tree.  This specimen appears dead, having lost its typical small leaves and its green chlorophyll containing bark which can support photosynthesis when the tree has shed its leaves during excessively dry periods.  Despite these adaptations for survival in the adult tree, the seedlings are susceptible to desiccation during the first few months of their lives with only 1.6% of seedlings surviving.<br />
<br />
This image was taken just before sunset in the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park immediately adjacent to the narrow, paved, one-way Cactus Forest Drive - a portion of which can be seen in the lower right corner of the photograph.  In the foreground are Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia engelmannii).  It had been an unusual cloudy day until just shortly before sunset when the clouds began to dissipate and the sun dropped below the edge of the storm front – bathing the entire landscape in golden light.  The best light lasted literally for less than a minute and I was only able to capture one frame of this scene before the intensity of the spectacle was lost.
    _LPA5536-Edit-tree-palo-verde-saguar...tif
  • The sun dropped below storm clouds off Big Sur California and, for only a brief moment, illuminated the Pacific Ocean in blazing color to mark the beginning of Halloween night.
    P-000214-sunset-big-sur-red-pacific-...tif
  • A Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stands silhouetted against a stormy sunset within the 57,930 acre Saguaro National Park in Arizona.  Being composed of 85% water, these 50 foot tall giants can weigh over 8 tons and are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.  <br />
<br />
On this particular winter evening, the heavy storm clouds parted to the west shortly before sunset.  As the sun dropped below the horizon, it lit the underside of the stormy sky causing it to blaze with color for less than 5 minutes before the spectacle vanished even more quickly than it had appeared.
    _LPA5546-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • An Evening Primrose (Oenothera stricta) blooms near the summit of Mount Haleakalā volcano on Maui, Hawaii. Also called the East Maui Volcano, it is a massive 3,055 m (10,023 ft) high shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui and last erupted in the 17th century. <br />
<br />
Haleakalā means “House of the Sun" and its tallest point is Puʻu ʻUlaʻula (Red Hill). The crater depression is over 11.2 km (7 mi) across, 3.2 km (2 mi) wide, and nearly 800 m (2,600 ft) deep. <br />
<br />
In Hawaiian folklore, the Haleakalā crater was home to the grandmother of the demigod Māui.  According to the legend, Māui's grandmother helped him capture the sun and force it to slow its journey across the sky in order to lengthen the day.
    _LPA1330-primrose-yellow-haleakala-v...tif
  • A new moon rises at sunset near an old tree burned during the Steamboat Fire, in Yosemite National Park, California.  The Steamboat fire destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees. Indeed, for over 4,000 years, the American Indians used fire in this area to cultivate the landscape.
    Scan-101211-0014-Edit-sunset-moon-tr...tif
  • A lone hiker watches the first touch of sunrise wash a desert sanstone butte near Goblin Valley, Utah.
    P-000167-hoodoo-utah-goblin-sunrise-...tif
  • A lone hiker watches the first touch of sunrise wash a desert sanstone butte near Goblin Valley, Utah.
    P-000167-hoodoo-utah-goblin-sunrise-...tif
  • The headlamps of four mountaineering groups are seen ascending Mount Bierstadt in the predawn light under a star-filled Colorado sky (3:30am).  Mount Bierstadt at 14,068 feet (4287 m) was first climbed in 1863 and is the 38th tallest peak in Colorado and the 44th tallest in the continental United States.  Groups typically begin their ascent in the early morning so as to complete the 6.9 mile trail and be off the mountain before the danger of afternoon thunderstorms common in this area.
    _1LA9361-predawn-ascent-Mount-Bierst...tif
  • The headlamps of four mountaineering groups are seen ascending Mount Bierstadt in the predawn light under a star-filled Colorado sky streaked by the annual Perseid meteor shower.  Mount Bierstadt at 14,068 feet (4287 m) was first climbed in 1863 and is the 38th tallest peak in Colorado and the 44th tallest in the continental United States.  Groups typically begin their ascent in the early morning so as to complete the 6.9 mile trail and be off the mountain before the danger of afternoon thunderstorms common in this area.<br />
<br />
Best observed in the Northern Hemisphere and down to the mid-southern latitudes, the annual Perseid meteor shower occurs each summer when the earth passes through a stream of dust from comet Swift-Tuttle.  Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by earth and has a nucleus 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide. It last passed by earth during its orbit around the sun in 1992 and will next do so in 2126.<br />
<br />
This image is a composite of 10 photographs over a total of 171 seconds between 3:21am and 3:30am which captured a total of 34 meteors.
    _1LA9361-2-perseid-meteors-predawn-a...tif
  • _LPA0097-Edit-boy-jump-teton-river-i...tif
  • A flock of ducks rest on the frozen ocean mudflats at low tide with the ice and puddles reflecting the pinks, blues and mauves of a winter sunset in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
    Scan-101211-0017-Edit-ice-sunset-duc...tif
  • _LPA0079-Edit-jump-girl-teton-river-...tif
  • _LPA0078-Edit-jump-girl-teton-river-...tif
  • _LPA0078-Edit-jump-girl-teton-river-...tif
  • The last light of an Arizona desert sunset silhouettes the Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) growing along a distant ridge.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5471-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stand tall near a hill summit, silhouetted as the sun sets in the Arizona desert.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5469-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • A fiery Arizona desert sunset blazes behind a group of Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) growing along a mountain ridgeline.  The Saguaro cactus can grow 50-feet-tall, is composed of 85% water, and can weigh over 8 tons.  They are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States. Their skin is smooth and waxy with stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. The outer pulp can expand like an accordion when water is absorbed, increasing the diameter of the stem and raising its weight by up to a ton.  <br />
<br />
The Saguaro generally takes 47 to 67 years to attain a height of 6 feet, and can live for 150 – 200 years.  During that lifetime, a single cactus will produce 40 million seeds; however, in its harsh native environment, only one of these seeds will survive to replace the parent plant.  Indeed, young Saguaro’s must start life under a tree or shrub to prevent them from desiccating.
    _LPA5465-Edit-saguaro-cactus-sunset-...tif
  • A single prairie sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus) blooms admist the desert sandunes.
    P-000164-sunflower-sand-dune-desert.tif
  • Mountain peaks of the "The Serious WIld" rise  more than 14,000 feet above sea level and loom over the melting snowfields of the Continental Divide between Silverton and Durango, Colorado .
    P-000168-snow-mountain-colorado.tif
  • Fiery clouds fil the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees.
    Image 013-Edit-sunset-wildfire-sky-f...tif
  • Clouds resembling the flames of a raging wildfire light the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  <br />
The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees.
    Scan-101211-0003-Edit-sunset-wildfir...tif
  • Fiery clouds fil the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees.
    Image 013-Edit-sunset-wildfire-sky-f...tif
  • Just after dawn, the rising sun begins to disappear behind dense storm clouds floating just above the white-cap strewn ocean horizon at Harbor Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
    _LPA0225-sun-sunrise-ocean-storm-whi...tif
  • Clouds resembling the flames of a raging wildfire light the evening sky over an area of forest partially burned by the Steamboat Fire in Yosemite National Park, California.  <br />
The Steamboat fire started on August 7, 1990 and eventually destroyed 6,106 acres of woodland. Wildfires have historically been considered disasters, but it is now understood that fire is an integral component of forest life.  Naturally occurring fires thin the woodlands, increase sunlight to the forest floor, and allow for recycling of nutrients to the soil.  Thus, wildfires actually encourage the germination and regrowth of the forest plants and trees.
    Scan-101211-0003-Edit-sunset-wildfir...tif
  • In the winter at Death Valley, the clear skies, cold nights and lack of nearby lights create one of the best viewing environments for the night sky.  Seen here in March, the many colors of the stars are clearly visible.  Centered in the image is the constellation Orion, with Orion’s Belt and sword clearly visible.  Orion is observable worldwide in the evening sky from January to March.  It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.  The earliest depiction of the constellation of Orion is a prehistoric (Aurignacian) mammoth ivory carving found in a cave in the Ach valley in West Germany in 1979. Archaeologists have estimated it to have been fashioned approximately 32,000 to 38,000 years ago<br />
<br />
Orion's Belt (or The Belt of Orion) consists of the three bright stars: Zeta (Alnitak), Epsilon (Alnilam), and Delta (Mintaka). Alnitak is approximately 800 light years away from earth and is 100,000 times more luminous than the Sun, although much of its radiation is in the ultraviolet range which the human eye cannot see. Alnilam is approximately 1,340 light years away from Earth and is 375,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Mintaka is 915 light years away and is 90,000 times more luminous than the Sun, and is a double star.  <br />
<br />
The Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters or M45) is visible from virtually every place on Earth and is one of the nearest star clusters. It can be seen from as far north as the north pole, and farther south than the southernmost tip of South America. It looks like a tiny misty dipper of stars, shown here 3/4 of the way to the right and halfway up in the sky.  In both myth and science, the Pleiades are considered sibling stars. The Pleiades stars were born from the same cloud of gas and dust about 100 million years ago. The cluster of several hundred stars is about 430 light-years distant, and the sibling stars drift through space together at about 25 miles per second. Many of these Pleiades stars shine hundreds of times mor
    _LPA3782-Edit-stars-orion-pleadeis-d...tif
  • Miltoniopsis orchid grown and bloomed by the photographer.  Miltoniopsis is a genus of orchids that consists of 6 species, native to Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia. They grow in locations that range from hot, humid lowlands  to relatively cool, humid cloud forests. They were named after Lord Fitzwilliam Milton, an English orchid enthusiast.
    _LPA6346-orchid-miltonia-flower-pans...tif
  • One hundred feet below the ocean surface off the coast of Belize, a 4 foot high Carribean barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta) rises from admist its surrounding garden of branching gorgonians and a cloud of schooling Brown Chromis (Chromis multilineata).  The Belize barrier reef is the world's second largest, only exceeded in size by the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
    P-000213-barrel-sponge-chromis-beliz...tif
  • In the winter at Death Valley, the clear skies, cold nights and lack of nearby lights create one of the best viewing environments for the night sky.  Seen here in March, the many colors of the stars are clearly visible.  Centered in the image is the constellation Orion, with Orion’s Belt and sword clearly visible.  Orion is observable worldwide in the evening sky from January to March.  It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.  The earliest depiction of the constellation of Orion is a prehistoric (Aurignacian) mammoth ivory carving found in a cave in the Ach valley in West Germany in 1979. Archaeologists have estimated it to have been fashioned approximately 32,000 to 38,000 years ago<br />
<br />
Orion's Belt (or The Belt of Orion) consists of the three bright stars: Zeta (Alnitak), Epsilon (Alnilam), and Delta (Mintaka). Alnitak is approximately 800 light years away from earth and is 100,000 times more luminous than the Sun, although much of its radiation is in the ultraviolet range which the human eye cannot see. Alnilam is approximately 1,340 light years away from Earth and is 375,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Mintaka is 915 light years away and is 90,000 times more luminous than the Sun, and is a double star.  <br />
<br />
The Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters or M45) is visible from virtually every place on Earth and is one of the nearest star clusters. It can be seen from as far north as the north pole, and farther south than the southernmost tip of South America. It looks like a tiny misty dipper of stars, shown here 3/4 of the way to the right and halfway up in the sky.  In both myth and science, the Pleiades are considered sibling stars. The Pleiades stars were born from the same cloud of gas and dust about 100 million years ago. The cluster of several hundred stars is about 430 light-years distant, and the sibling stars drift through space together at about 25 miles per second. Many of these Pleiades stars shine hundreds of times mor
    _LPA3782-Edit-pano-stars-orion-plead...tif
  • Thirty Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) head for the marsh at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, in  Sudbury, Massachusetts.  There are seven subspecies of the Canada Goose, of varying sizes and plumage details, but all look similar.  These birds range from 30-43 inches in length, with a 50–73 inch wingspan and weigh 7–14 pounds.  Canada Geese are known for their seasonal migrations during which time they can travel 2,000 - 3,000 miles at altitudes of 2,000 - 9,000 feet.  They can fly 1,500 miles in 24 hours under ideal weather conditions. The geese generally travel 40 miles per hour, but they can reach 70 mph with a good wind. The lifespan of a Canada Goose is generally 10–24 years.
    _LPA5190-canada-goose-geese-flying-s...tif
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