Natural History Photographs


Yellowstone (Wyoming), USA
West Thumb Basin
20 August 2017

The main highlights of Yellowstone are all connected through the Grand loop road. In the previous days, we had already visited many highlights, and today we wanted to 'close the loop,' so to speak. After a second visit to Biscuit Basin, where I focused most on the Osprey, we continued driving along the lower loop of the figure eight, towards West Thumb geyser basin. Here I first spotted the dragonfly, Plathemis lydia - but most males were flying over hot springs, inaccessible to me. Luckily, later this day I found them at closer range, around the Dragon mouth spring. Here, we could marvel most at the colorful paintpot springs, as well as the intense contrast between the blue water of Black pool and the saturated orange of the cyanobacteria in the runoff water.

Nymphalis californica


Black pool


hot springs


Big cone Fishing cone


hot springs


Paintpot pools