Tranquil Majesty of Myakka, Florida

by Liesl Walsh

Title

Tranquil Majesty of Myakka, Florida

Artist

Liesl Walsh

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

I just love live oak trees! I have been trying to capture the perfect photo of a live oak tree reflecting over a pond, and after coming to this area of Florida many times for years I finally captured it! Everything has to come together for this type of photo: the soft morning light, the fog, the time of year later in the summer rainy season, the ferns being green after a fresh rain, and enough flooding of the nearby river to create a pond around the trees. Too many times I had been here in the dry season when everything was brown and no water, or the light was too harsh later in the morning.

My husband and I got up really early that morning and drove out into the foggy Florida countryside when it was still dark. As the sun rose above the horizon the mist hung over open fields and sparkled on the cobwebs along tree branches and fence posts. We had a huge storm the night before, and we were curious how much the Myakka River flooded. Usually this time of year it overflows into huge fields and into the road. Would the road be closed? Our favorite area to drive was on the other side near Myakka River State Park. As we got closer we saw the river level had grown quite high, covering branches that stretched over the river, but not high enough to cover the road. It flowed very fast, and very close to the top of the bridge. So we pressed on!

On our way we saw thousands of water birds, mostly ibis, wading in flooded fields. We saw a deer jumping through a citrus grove, and cattle grazing. We smelled the damp swampy air.

That morning was my very first time seeing these trees in dense fog. The light and mood was amazing!! And it was right after a huge storm, so the Myakka River flooded the area surrounding the trees creating beautiful reflections in the calm water! I got the best photos of live oak trees that morning!

This is Myakka City, a rural area east of Bradenton, Florida that has some of the most beautiful countryside I have seen in Florida. It is one of the most scenic areas of Manatee County. Thousands of acres of open space are filled with cattle ranches and farms. Many areas of have live oak trees with Spanish moss hanging down creating that Old Florida look that people love so much.

The ferns growing on the large live oak branches are resurrection ferns. During the dry season they are brown, but after a big rain they "resurrect" quickly overnight to a beautiful green.

This image is available in both color and black and white.

Featured in the following FAA Groups:
Fine Art America Professionals 9-24-2022
Fine Art Exploration Photography 9-24-2022
Digital Art 9-24-2022
Showcasing the South 9-24-2022
Best of Botanical Beauty 9-26-2022
Art Forever With You 9-26-2022
New FAA Uploads 9-27-2022
Water Reflections 9-28-2022
Hodge Podge 9-29-2022
Art From the Past With Human Touch 10-1-2022
Waiting Room Art 10-1-2022
Daily Promotion 10-6-2022
Mind-Blowing Photography 10-6-2022
A Gorgeous Green - Nature and Photography 10-17-2022

Uploaded

September 24th, 2022

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