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New life from the ashes


New life from the ashes
Photo Information
Copyright: Janice Dunn (Janice) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3277 W: 148 N: 6163] (18832)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-02-18
Categories: Trees
Camera: Nikon D70, Nikkor 18-70mm f
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): New Zealand native fauna & flora, Pohutukawa Trees of NZ, Volcanoes and Volcanic Areas [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-02-24 3:41
Viewed: 6561
Points: 40
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
MAORI NAME: RANGITOTO, derived from the phrase
‘TE RANGI I TOTONGIA A TAMATEKAPUA –
THE DAY THE BLOOD OF TAMATEKAPUA WAS SHED’

Rangitoto, the largest and youngest of Auckland’s volcanoes, emerged from the sea around 600 years ago in a series of fiery volcanic explosions. Imagine it: fire and steam started erupting from the sea on 8 km northeast of where the city of Auckland now is. Further eruptions sent red-hot lava flows down the sides of the volcano forming the black basaltic rock that now makes up much of the island. The birth of Rangitoto Island took about 200 years from the beginning to the end (there is a debate about this). When it was over, layer of layer of LAVA had built Rangitoto’s symmetrical cone. It was an island of bare jagged rock. It is now considered a dead volcano – I do hope so!

HOW DID PLANT LIFE BEGIN HERE?
Remember that Rangitoto was an island of bare rugged lava. It lacked soil, ground water and still lacked many of the basic elements needed to sustain like. The heat of the black rock created very high temperatures, forming an unwelcome environment for plants.

ARRIVING BY WIND, SEA, WATER.
The 1st inhabitants of Rangitoto were mosses and lichens – natural colonizers of such hostile environments were blown here by wind from the mainland.

Wind carried the tiny seeds of the Pohutukawa – which was one of the 1st tree colonizers of the island. Once the wind-blown trees were established, they attracted birds that carried more seeds.

Other trees, e.g. mangroves, would have arrived on water, seeds floating over across the harbour.

The process of plant colonization on the bare rock continues today. There are still many areas on the island where it appears that nothing is growing. But if you look closely, you will see mosses and lichens beginning to colonise the barren surface.

Here you see a Pohutukawa seedling that has taken root in a few rotting leaves on the lava and eventually ‘islands’ of vegetation will form to shelter other life. An ‘island’ usually extends as far as the outer and upper branches of a large Pohutukawa tree. Then the ‘island’ will grow and expand to grow and join with neighbouring ‘islands.’ Eventually, in many hundreds of years, Rangi will be completely covered with forest. So perhaps next century, this little Pohutukawa will be part of the large ‘island’ in this field of lava.

I was lucky enough on our trip to Rangi to be able to use my friend's Nikon camera some of the time.

Model - NIKON D70
DateTime - 2005:02:22 10:29:10
ExposureTime - 10/5000 seconds
FNumber - 11.00
MaxApertureValue - F 3.48
FocalLength - 18.00 mm
ExposureMode - Auto
DigitalZoomRatio - 1 x
Contrast - Normal
Saturation - Normal
Sharpness - Normal
dew77, red45, cafecrem, LordPotty, honza, sAner, willie, Callie, Luc, JeanMichel, gerhardt, extramundi, bscheller has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To bscheller: A'a LavaJanice 1 03-09 14:28
To CTP: RangitotoJanice 1 03-01 05:49
To olar: Thank you OlaJanice 1 02-24 04:57
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Critiques [Translate]

Excellent picture with a message Janice! Amazing that new life arise in every habitat. What do you think about my workshop?

Great note Janice! And of course very interesting photo. Thank you for it.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4432 W: 248 N: 4028] (13270)
  • [2005-02-24 3:54]

Janice this's really interesting!Thanks a lot for your notes otherwise I couldn't image plants can grow there!TFS

  • Great 
  • olar Gold Star Critiquer [C: 137 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2005-02-24 4:27]
  • [+]

Superb photo. Very interesting.

Thats a pretty rugged landscape Janice.I climbed it once too.I hear there are some interesting lava caves there. Hell to crawl through though (overall shredders).
Its quite scary how many volcanoes there are dotted around Auckland city.

  • Great 
  • honza Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 533 W: 0 N: 720] (4197)
  • [2005-02-24 5:09]

Perfect picture - interesting motive, nice composition and colors. Very good note. Well done.

Very good shot!
I love the contrast between vivid green and dark. I have the same idea as Greg to cut the top, but I would maybe leave more dark area and cut only the green part.
Anyway, I like your idea for this shot very much.
Well done!

Ours this composition was wonderful! Without words.

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1455 W: 74 N: 1426] (4750)
  • [2005-02-24 6:24]

Fantastic contrast! Very well seen Janice. :) TFS

Nice shot and great note, I would crop the upper part.
Well done.
TFS.

  • Great 
  • willie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1023 W: 61 N: 648] (2083)
  • [2005-02-24 13:58]

I like this one more than the first one Janice. Very nice image. Good work

  • Great 
  • Callie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1101 W: 95 N: 2610] (7555)
  • [2005-02-24 14:14]

Hi Janice
For a moment I was carried away into a phantasy land, and forgot about TN, the picture and were actually "there"! And that is great, very good note, and photo to illustrate same - TFS

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1835 W: 301 N: 4287] (14767)
  • [2005-02-25 5:22]

Very appropriated title, Janice, for the fascinating picture with a great note.
Thanks.

Not an easy subject here, with so many different grey shades. Very interesting contribution, Janice, showing that a plant always finds it's way, whatever! Good lesson for perseverance. Grzegorz WS illustrates exactly what would have been my little nit about the framing.

Exceptional post. I always find it so motivating when nature break through in adversity. The WS does improve the compo, but thats my only nit. Well done.

  • Great 
  • CTP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 644 W: 6 N: 946] (2726)
  • [2005-03-01 0:42]
  • [+]

What an amazing photo.New life in the lava.
I love the new plant's strong green color.
Thanks for showing us your side of the world Janice:)
CT from Snowy Chicago

Appart from sharing with us an interesting and unsual subject, I think your note this time is very good. I have had a look at all your recent posts I missed, and enjoyed very much the tour up Rangitoto you brought to us. Thanks!

awesome janice!
looks like a'a lava (Hawaiian for the very sharp, type of lava.)

It shows that the Earth, is so much more stronger then us all, but yet there is always a chance and hope for a new and better tomorrow!

Thanks alot
- Bart

Thanks for your photo and note Jancie - I enjoyed both. I'd probably crop some of the top of the image too, but what you've done effectively helps to reinforce the contrasting grey rock.

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2150 W: 319 N: 4263] (16942)
  • [2005-05-04 14:09]

Janice, this is simple and suggestive.

Great contrast, well spotted.

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