This photograph won't win any awards, but that isn't why I took it. I was curious to see how it would compare to this photograph taken 70-85 years ago in the same area. The photographic comparison isn't as compelling as repeat photography of glaciers (check the box beside “long-term change photograph pairs” and press Submit), but you still get the notion of how much the landscape has changed in a less than a century. It is impossible to say that the bitter-roots were as abundant in this area as they were on the hillside from the linked Davidson photograph, but it is possible to suggest that the introduced Thinopyrum sp. (syn. Agropyron sp.) or wheatgrass and Medicago sativa (alfalfa – the green plant throughout the bottom quarter of the image) were not present in this landscape eight decades ago. Both of these European introductions were likely planted as forage crops, and the native Lewisia rediviva now has to compete with these plants for nutrients and water. Discovering a landscape that looks as it did in the days of John Davidson is likely impossible.

Photography resource link: How To Make Digital Photos Look Like Lomo Photography from the Digital Photography School Weblog. Want to make images that look like they were taken by a cheap Russian camera? This is for you.