During my recent trip to Yellowstone National Park, I had the opportunity to participate in a guided snowshoe hike in the Upper Geyser Basin. It was along this hike that the group spotted a Woodland Pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea Nutt.). Nobody in our group, including the guide, knew what the plant was. So, I “phoned a friend” to find out. Specifically, I texted my friend Tom who knew exactly what it was. Thanks!
For those of you who are not familiar with the plant, Pinedrops is a root parasite, that depends on its association with a fungus that is also associated with a pine tree. Pinedrops produces very little chlorophyll and is therefore not green in color and does not conduct photosynthesis.
This image was taken with my Sony A7R IV using my Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 Lens set on 100mm. The camera was set on Manual mode with the aperture set at f/8, shutter speed at 1/160th of a second, and the ISO set at 640. I hand-held the camera for this photo. This is a single image processed in Lightroom and completed in Photoshop using Nik Color Efex Pro.
You can see other images like this in my Yellowstone NP gallery by clicking here. Please use the section below to post your comments, questions, or suggestions.
T. Kahler Photography
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