“Nature takes hold, in the smallest crack or hollow, filling them with life and laying the foundation for the next generation.”
– Ed Lehming

Among the solid stone of the Canadian Shield I find not only lichens but entire gardens of beautiful plants. Here, a crack in the granite is filled with a variety of Stonecrop known as Sedum Acre or Wall Pepper, with tall Yellow Hawkweed growing from it. The crack has produced its own little garden. And when this garden dies off in the autumn, it will produce even more compost, providing nutrients for a larger plant next year.

These little gardens were everywhere, some filling low spots but most popping out of cracks in the stone, as I stopped by Ontario’s Burleigh Falls to make some picture of the fast rushing water.

A side benefit to photography is that I often find new subjects to photograph while on my way to my intended destination. I was actually a bit disappointed in the images the waterfalls yielded, though I am still in the process of reviewing them. We’ll see if anything comes of them in future posts.

For now, I am content with what presented itself: some lovely plants and the great texture of the moss-covered rocks. What’s not showing in this image is the swarms of mosquitoes that greeted me on this rainy June day.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/100 sec, f/8.0, ISO 400

For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com