Living at over 10,000 ft is a challenge that the bristlecone pines are adapted to. A very short growing season. Minimal precipitation. Cold winds. Months of freezing temperatures. But they survive for thousands of years. So, what’s your excuse?
These are the last of my “lost iPhone photos”. The top one is looking from a viewpoint overlooking the Eastern Sierra Nevada and the valley around Big Pine, CA. The one below is one of the ancient Bristlecone Pines that grow even higher than this viewpoint image. Bristlecone’s (in this area) grow around the 10,000 ft line and above.
These two images are of the same Bristlecone Pine, but just from a slightly different spot. I like them both and thought it was interesting how a slight change in shooting angle/location can change an image so much. A reminder of one of the basic rules of photography: Keep your feet moving and work the shot.
The soil type limits the Bristlecones to particular locations … when the soil changes there is a transition zone that isn’t as ideal for them. This tree was an outlier, but seems to be doing pretty well.
This Bristlecone Pine was growing right on top of a rock pile. My guess is that at one point in the past, the soil was present on top of the rock and has since eroded. The erosion of soil around the root systems is one of the causes of death for bristlecones. That’s one of the reasons that they request visitors to stay on the pathways: to keep erosion to a minimum.