Mother Nature: World’s Most Underrated Artist Oregon seems to have a little bit of everything.

Mother Nature: World’s Most Underrated ArtistOregon seems to have a little bit of everything. From deep green forests that blanket the countryside in pines, to some of North America’s most impressive parks such as Crater Lake; finding serenity is almost a guarantee in the Pacific Northwest. Even here though, few would expect to find a rural desert landscape just a few kilometers away from where forests grow so thickly green. In fact, Oregon’s High Desert encompasses nearly one quarter of the entire state’s landmass. Also hidden on the frontier of the desert is the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. There are three main sites in the park: the Sheep Rock Unit, Clarno Unit, and the Painted Hills Unit. Throughout these three sections, hundreds of dried up lakebeds and riverbeds offer a look at some of the most impressive geology in the Pacific Northwest by leaving behind stratified rock layers and thousands of ancient fossils.The park is widely known for its preserved history. Dating back 40-65 million years, the terrain was much different than present day Oregon. Millions of years ago, palm trees and other tropical vegetation flourished in the northwest, as the climate was much more tropical than today. Many of the fossils found are those of crocodiles and large mammals such as brontotheriidae and amynodonttiedae (both relatives to the rhino and tapir), and hyaenodontidae (similar to prehistoric wolves or hyenas).The featured picture shows a famous region of the Painted Hills Unit. It looks as though Mother Nature herself carefully stroked the hills in hues of red, orange, and yellow. The hills obtained these magnificent colors from thousands of years of volcanic eruptions, weathering, and erosion. The rivulets in the hills collect moisture and nutrients, allowing wildflowers to flourish throughout the spring and early summer months. This concludes that life and beauty continue on even when extinction had been met nearby by so many others.–Pete DPhoto Credit:Tyson Fisherhttp://www.tysonfisher.com/References:1. http://www.nps.gov/joda/planyourvisit/index.htm2. http://oregonstate.edu/dept/range/sites/default/files/EcologicalProvincesOfOregon/high_desert.htm3. http://oregon.sierraclub.org/conserv/hidsrt/4. http://traveloregon.com/see-do/attractions/outdoors-nature/clarno-unit-john-day-fossil-beds-national-monument/5. http://www.academia.edu/2183015/Hyaenodontidae_Creodonta_Carnivora_and_Didymoconida_from_the_Oligocene_of_Central_Mongolia6. http://mitchelloregon.us/painted-hills/7. http://www.nps.gov/joda/naturescience/wildflowers.htm -- source link

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