The latest news and photography
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On the 8th of January I made a trip to Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oklahoma. This was during an extreme cold spell we had been having and much of the water was frozen, a rare occurrence for this part of the country. These are photos from this trip.
To find out more about the refuge see my Photographic Destinations post Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge
Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge – Images by Greg Disch
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This last week in Arkansas we have had the coldest weather in 20 years, several days of not reaching above freezing and lows near zero every night. One of the effects of the cold is that the steams and waterfalls have been virtually frozen in time, creating some incredible displays of mother nature at work.
These photos are from the Arkansas Glory Hole, which is a small waterfall in the Ozark National Forrest, that is a hole that has eroded through the top of a large rock overhang. The small creek drops through this hole creating the waterfall. Here is the result of adding some extreme cold temperatures.
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I currently have an exhibit at the Fort Smith Art Center located at 423 North 6th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901.
The Fort Smith Art Center is located in the Vaughn-Schaap house, one of the few remaining examples of Victorian Second Empire architecture in Fort Smith. It was the first home to be restored in the Belle Grove Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Art Center is in the process of expanding to a new facility and this will be one of the last exhibits in the historic location.
As a result of the capital campaign, the art center has reduced its hours to 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays.
The exhibit is several large Giclee canvas prints mostly from arkansas, the prints run from a 16 x 24 up to a 3′ x 5′ canvas.
A major ice storm hit northwest Arkansas on January 26 & 27. Many areas had 80-90 percent of households without power and it could take 2 days to a week or more to restore power. The ice was up to 1 1/2 inches thick and snapped trees like they were toothpicks, sounding like gunfire to heavy artillery as branches and entire trees continued to fall. This photo was taken on a rural highway near Beaver Lake. Although this is a terrible disaster there is still beauty to be seen from the ice. Giclee Fine Art Gallery Wrap Canvas Print
Columbines are perennial plants that are found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the northern hemisphere. They are known for their distinctive flowers, generally bell shaped, with each petal modified into an elongated nectar spur. The plants seeds and roots are highly poisonous. Giclee Fine Art Gallery Wrap Canvas Print
The diverse trek through Zion's premier canyon is one of the most touted and breathtaking adventures in America. Extraordinary beauty and unique character describe this amazing gorge. The Zion Narrows deserves its reputation as one of the best, if not the best, hike in the National Park System. Giclee Fine Art Gallery Wrap Canvas Print36” X 60”
Green tree frog taken on a pond near lake Ouachita. There were literally hundreds of these frogs on the small pond, making an amazing amount of noise. Giclee Fine Art Gallery Wrap Canvas Print 16 X 24
The flaming Red Maple tree towers over the Boxley Valley Baptist Church, built around 1840 and has remained continuously active. The church lies within the Buffalo National River boundaries near Jasper Arkansas. Giclee Fine Art Gallery Wrap Canvas Print 24 x 36
Haw Creek Falls is located in Haw Creek campground of the Bayou Ranger District of the Ozark National Forest. The small steam contains the falls which are only a short walk on an access trail. The falls are only about 5 feet high at the most, but are very picturesque even with low water. Located nearby is Big Piney Wild and Scenic River and access to the Ozark Highlands Trial. Giclee Fine Art Gallery Wrap Canvas Print 30 x 36
The Buffalo National River flows free over swift running rapids and quiet pools for its 135-mile length. One of the few remaining rivers in the lower 48 states without dams, the Buffalo cuts its way through massive limestone bluffs traveling eastward through the Arkansas Ozarks and is Americas first National River. Giclee Fine Art Gallery Wrap Canvas Print 30 x 40
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Frost flower formations are also referred to as “ice flowers”, “ice blossoms”, “frost castles”, “frost beard”, “ice castles”, or “ice ribbons”.
The formation of frost flowers, is apparently dependent on a freezing weather condition occurring when the ground is not already frozen. The sap in the stem of the plants will expand (water expands when frozen), causing long, thin cracks to form along the length of the stem. Water is then drawn through these cracks via capillary action and freezes upon contact with the air. As more water is drawn through the cracks it pushes the thin ice layers further from the stem, causing a thin “petal” to form. The “flowers” will continue to grow as long as the air is below freezing and the ground is warm enough for water to be drawn up through the plant. The petals are normally very thin and delicate and will be gone shortly after the sun hits them.
Plants that often form frost flowers are white crownbeard, commonly called frostweed, tickweed, or ice-plant. These waist- to shoulder-high plants grow in dense patches in the moist, shaded soil of river or creek bottoms and form heavy undergrowths in the shade of large trees.
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Nelson Nevada, about 25 miles southwest of Las Vegas was once an active mining area which produced millions of dollars in gold, silver, copper and lead. Over the last decade owners of the mine have restored a number of buildings and created a museum to the area and the Techatticup Mine. There are several buildings, old vehicles, and just about anything else, just lying around that they have collected.
All of the photos in this post have been converted to black and white, or actually sepia tone because I felt the effect fit the subject very well.
I will be doing a Photographic Destinations post in the near future and will show the color photos in that post.
