Mono Lake

[Bowwowmeow]

I also went to Mono Lake, also known as California's Dead Sea. I believe its our largest lake, but its quite a bit saltier than the ocean, and way more alkaline. Eighty percent of California's sea gull population nest and raise their babies here. It lies east of Yosemite, just outside the park boundary, amongst a number of very young volcanic craters.

Here's a panoramic view:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLake.jpg

For every single human alive today, there are 1000 Sea Monkeys living in Mono Lake! They are the only animals living in the water, except for the tufa flies, who spend a part of their life cycle in the lake too.

[Oracl]

Amazingly intense blue colour, for a lake. :)

[Bowwowmeow]

Here is a sea gull enjoying himself. I love sea gulls; their cries remind me of the sea, and home.:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeSeaGull.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

Amazingly intense blue colour, for a lake. :)
Yes, it is, isn't it! Its usually pea green, but the Sea Monkeys have spent the summer eating all the algae, which makes the water beautifully blue when seen from a distance. They are now getting ready to end their life cycles by depositing cysts that will overwinter and hatch into a new generation next spring, when the water will be full of algae again. The adults don't usually live very long after their final act of reproduction.

[Gliondrach]

It does look like the sea with a beach.

[paul]

Im gobsmacked

[Gliondrach]

It do look to me like the sea off the Spanish Main. Many's the time I've a-looked over that stretch o' water from the deck o' me man o' war.

[thevegantwins]

Are those rocks white next to the seagull because of all the seagull poop? :poop:

[Bowwowmeow]

:lol: Sorry, no, that's tufa, which is a very rare and interesting rock which grows under the water in Mono Lake. I've got lots of pictures of it which I will post soon. Its naturally very light in color.

[Bowwowmeow]

More seagulls:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/SeaGullsSept07155.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

The thick black line at the water's edge is composed of thousands of tufa flies. They are they only ones living in and around Mono Lake besides the Sea Monkeys. They spend part of their life cycles under the water. They provide food for the many different kinds of migratory birds who visit Mono Lake. The seagulls I saw were just walking along the water's edge scooping up beakfulls of these flies.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeSept07159.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/TufaFliesSept07156.jpg

The birds also eat the Sea Monkeys, but since they are scarce this time of year, they rely on the flies.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/TufaFliesSept07149.jpg

This picture is just swarmed with flies I disturbed when I got close to the pickleweed. The shadows are blacker, and the light areas are peppered, because of the huge numbers of flies swarming about.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/TufaFliesSept07157.jpg

I don't think I've ever seen this many individuals of a single species clustered together in one area before. Its similar to the polar oceans that are full of practically nothing but krill, and the great whales who eat them.

[Bowwowmeow]

Here are some shots of the landscape around Mono Lake, and some of the beautiful wildflowers and other plants in the area. This habitat supports many mice, ground squirrels, and cottontail rabbits, who end up getting preyed upon by birds of prey, snakes, and coyotes. Its not as bleak as the more southern deserts can seem, but even those support amazing numbers of wildlife.

This is some rabbitbush, I believe its called, and some pumice. Mono Lake is a volcanic crater, and there are other craters around the area too, and lots of pumice and other volcanic rock, besides the famous tufa which grows in the lake.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeSept07130.jpg


More rabbitbush, with the mountains east of Yosemite in the background.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeSept07134.jpg


Rabbitbush with Mono Lake in the background:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeSept07133.jpg

There are a few tufa towers visible here, with Mono Lake in the background.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/SouthTufa.jpg

I don't know the names of these pretty grasses which have gone to seed:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeSept07142.jpg


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeSept07161.jpg


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeSept07160.jpg


More rabbitbush, and some sage, with the mountains east of Yosemite in the background, and a few late afternoon sunbeams:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeSept07164.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

Here's another shot from the Visitor's Center. Mono Lake is so big there's no place to see the entire lake except from an airplane.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/MonoLakeVisitorsCenter.jpg

[my3labs]

It really is a beautiful planet, isn't it?

[Bowwowmeow]

Yes, and as far as we know, the only one of its kind.

[my3labs]

Let's hope we'll quit f-ing it up!!

[Oracl]

Those pictures really are stunning, BWM. :) It is such a beautiful part of the world. :colors:

Let's hope we'll quit f-ing it up!!
:agree:

[Phoenix]

It really is a beautiful planet, isn't it?

:agree:

Yes, and as far as we know, the only one of its kind.

:agree:

Let's hope we'll quit f-ing it up!!

:crossfingers: :crying: :crying: :crying:

[Bowwowmeow]

I just found a long lost CD with the rest of my Mono Lake photos, so here they are. Prepare to be slammed with a load of photos. :o

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa9.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa8.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa7.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa6.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa5.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa4.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa23.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa22.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa21.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa20.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa19.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa18.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa17.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa16.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa15.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa14.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa13.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa12.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa11.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa10.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa28.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa27.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa23-1.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa26.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa24.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Mono%20Lake/Tufa25.jpg

I took these ages ago with my little Canon Elph. I need to go back with my Nikon and take some much better ones.

[Gliondrach]

It's a strange place.

[Bowwowmeow]

Strange and wonderful. Like another planet. I love deserts too.

Come to think of it, there isn't much in the natural world I don't like.