Umbrella Thorns, a photo from Rift Valley, West

Photographer's Note

For me one of the most memorable images of Amboseli has to be the sight of the Umbrella Thorns (Acacia Tortilis) backed by Kilimanjaro. The majestic beauty and distinctive shape of the trees was "Out of Africa" for me. This shot was taken on the same morning as the recent elephant shot I posted.

The Umbrella Thorn has the classic, umbrella-shaped canopy associated with thorn trees. It reaches heights of between 5-20 m in nature. Many bird species take advantage of this protection and build their nests in the canopy.

The tree produces a large number of pods that are eaten by wild and domestic animals, and sometimes by man. The pods are tightly coiled spirals, pale brown and fall to the ground unopened. They accumulate in large numbers and are eaten with relish by such animals as Kudu, Impala, Rhino and Elephant.

This is the manner in which the seeds of the unopened pod are dispersed for propagation and better germination after passing through an animal's stomach.

Acacia Tortilis may be found growing in sand dunes and rocky scarps to alluvial valley bottoms, avoiding seasonally waterlogged sites. A very drought resistant species, the umbrella thorn grows in areas with annual rainfall as low as 40 mm and as much as 1200 mm, with dry seasons of 1-12 months. The tree favors alkaline soils but will colonize saline and gypseous soils.

tyro, timecapturer, patdeph, ybx, paololg has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

yquem46 (32323) 2012-04-27 9:33

Hi Rosemary
Yes I agree that acacias are also for me synonym of Africa, Mara and especially Serengeti, together with the yellow fever and sausage trees
Never been to Amboseli but your images from this park are definitely very appealing
Have a nice WE
Patrick

serp2000 (29242) 2012-04-27 9:35

HI, Rosemary,
Great composition! I see the mountains on the BG. Impressive landscape. I have never seen real African nature. Thanks for your excellent photos!
Have a good WE!
Serghei

GREGG (8243) 2012-04-27 9:41

Hi Rosemary,
lovely composition,
with characteristic acacias in the foreground,
and the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro in the background,
beautiful colors,
applause
Greg

chrisvek (5515) 2012-04-27 10:08

Hello Rosemary

I like the nature so much,so this is shoot from you is perfect for me.Amazing background with the snow on the top of the mountain.Very nice result.Well done!

Regards
Chris

mesutilgim (68036) 2012-04-27 10:17

Hello Rosemary,
Amazing scene from Amboseli with perfect layout and nice soft light.
Many interesting notes as well.
TFS and bets regards
MESUT ILGIM

rychem (9264) 2012-04-27 10:36

Amazing graphism of the trees and Kilimanjaro in the BG, two parts of the photo with different colors
regards
Ryszard

cornejo (18130) 2012-04-27 11:17

Hi Rosemary, excellent point of view chosen for a charming and interesting composition with these beautiful acacias and the famous volcano with snow on the top to the bottom. Very nice image with good quality, very good and charming work excellently done, congratulations friend of mine. Tfs.

Good night and happy weekend
Best regards and best wishes.

Angel.

tyro (13149) 2012-04-27 12:50

Hello Rosemary,

Once again, a fascinating note, this time about these remarkable trees which must be extremely hardy to withstand such extremes of climate.

Your photograph of these trees is wonderful, the trees standing out boldly above the dry grassland and against a pale blue sky with the snow-capped form of Kilimanjaro appearing wraith-like in the distance. The colours, exposure, details and sharpness are superb.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

P.S. After reading you note and doing a bit more research myself, I discovered that it is believed that both the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were constructed by the Israelites from acacia wood: quite interesting that this hardy tree should have other uses than providing animal fodder. Is acacia wood used for construction nowadays?

timecapturer (30394) 2012-04-28 2:59

Hi Rosemary
your beautiful shots of this mountain make me want to experience it first hand. This is a glorious image, full of soft light and exquisite beauty. A real stunner and executed superbly. Awesome!

Enjoy your weekend - Brian.

Sergiom (39336) 2012-04-28 5:58

Bonjour Rosemary,

C'est une photo que nous voudrions tous avoir fait une fois dans notre vie. J'aime beaucoup le cadrage très soigné et la beauté du paysage.

Amicalement

Serge

Nicou (97811) 2012-04-28 9:56

Hello

Alaors c'est une merviellet cette iamgt esuperbe arbres dans la belle savante avec un ciel doux une sueprbe vue grandisoe compo.

bravo et amitié

Nicou

patdeph (35738) 2012-04-29 3:29

hello Rosemary
you are right, these trees are magnificent, and here, I love the kilimanfaro emerging at the background, superbly framed by them.Simple, superb and majstic picture.
Regards
Pascale

ybx (251) 2012-04-29 13:17

Hello Rosemary,
this picture of the trees Umbrella Thorns with the mytic Kilimanjaro in background is very spectacular. The combination of light, kind of trees, the unmistakable shape of the famous mountain, makes a wonderful scenario from Africa.
Very, very pleasant!

Warm regards & ciao

Corrado

willperrett (2959) 2012-04-30 5:54

Hello Rosemary
I love the horizontality of this image: from the clouds to the trees and the grass and background bushes. Even the mountain doesn't really disrupt this effect. The colours and composition too are beautiful (I looked at your most recent post too, but decided to comment on this as I preferred the saturation; "Reaching Out" looked just too much, though I'm sure you'll tell me that's how it was...) Lovely images, both.
Regards
Will

paololg (31442) 2012-04-30 8:04

Ciao dear Rosemary,
yeah, you're right, this is truly memorable, a photo that looks like a scene from a documentary of the Nathional Geographic! The perfect sharpness of these acacias creates a beautiful contrast to the majesty of Kilimanjaro, that appears to merge with the sky in a single color. Simply a wonderful photo. Congratulations!
Ciao, have a nice Tuesday!
Paolo

Waylim (22357) 2012-05-02 16:50

Hi,

beautiful landscape with the beautiful acacia trees, I remember them well. I was not at this park, not enough time. I wish I could have, if I were to do it all over again.

The Kilimanjoro on the background is icing on the cake.

Way