Fireflies of Elkmont

While on vacation in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park in June we happen to be there for the one week of the year necessary to see a extremely rare work of nature. The once a year occurrence is the viewing of the synchronous fireflies of Elkmont. For one week or so per year, usually the first and/or second week of June, the fireflies are visible during the brief period of of their shot life span when the males flash to attract females.

I did not run this photo with my other Tennessee vacation pictures because it is not an actual photo, but is instead a collage of images of the night. The creek and the fireflies pictured are all at Elkmont on the night we were but I layered individual firefly shots over a twilight shot of the creek to recreate the actual scene as we saw remembered it between 9:30 and 10:30 the night we were there.

I knew from quite a bit of Internet research in advance that the fireflies were EXTREMELY difficult to shoot. While very bright to the human eye they are not very bright to a cameras sensor!

More on this event @ http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/site/voice_stories/the_synchronous_fireflies_of_elkmont/issue/528

Black Bear in GSMNP

One more shot of a Black Bear at Cade's Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

Another one of the old restored buildings located on the Cade's Cove driving tour at the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Another feature of the Cable Mill display of Cades Cove is the preserved Cantilever barn, a design in which the upper story was larger than its base. This design allowed animals which were normally outside to stand underneath the over hang in order to get out of the sun or rain.

Grist Mill Window

This shot is from an old grist mill just inside the Great Smokey Mountains National Park near Cherokee, NC.

Cade's Cove Bears

My wife and I spotted this momma bear and three cubs on our last trip through Cade's Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park a couple of weeks ago. These bears were on the back side of meadow between two and three hundred yards away. We pulled off the road and watched the group for about 45 minutes before they wandered back into the woods. A nearby park ranger said these three cubs were born somewhere around the middle of February.

I shot these images with my Oly E-3 [2:1 crop factor] and Sigma 50-500 telephoto on a monopod.

And yes, the cub in the upper left portion of the three-shot is setting on it's haunches batting the flowers from paw to paw. [awe-factor of 10+!]

Horses at Cade's Cove

A couple of the trail ride horses playing in a meadow at the entrance of Cade's Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

Painter at Cade's Cove

Not everyone was taking pictures at Cade's Cove, this gentleman was capturing one of the scenes with paint. He must not have access to a camera! :)

Old Mill at Cade's Cove

About this Great Smoky Mountains National Park landmark:

John P. Cable’s mill was not the first in Cade's Cove. However, by 1870 or so the population was large enough to support several such businesses. As a rule millers were also farmers anyway, and John Cable was no exception. A large bell used to be mounted atop a pole beside the mill; customers rang it to call the miller in from the orchard or fields. Jim Cable, John’s son, inherited the mill and operated it well into the twentieth century.

Elk at Cherokee, NC

This elk was one of a group of about six elk we spotted along the roadside near Cherokee, NC inside the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I was glad this one wasn't wearing one of the radio transponder collars that many of the elk have been fitted with. I do wish it would have cooperated with it's "posing" a bit more though.

Barn at Cade's Cove

One of the many historical buildings located in Cade's Cove inside the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

Wild Turkey

This turkey of a shot was taken last week at Cade's Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

Little Pigeon River

Little River Road follows the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River and leads you to Cades Cove which is the number one attraction in the most visited [Great Smokey Mountains] National Park in the US. This small fall is one of an endless amount of picture postcard vignettes along the 18 mile long road.

Laurel Falls

This shot is of Laurel Falls in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in Tennessee. This was the only falls we hiked to on this trip because the 2.6 mile round trip was rated as one of the "easier" hikes. Not so much for us!