The Destructve and Regenerative Power of Fire: My Collage for LMAC #212

avatar
(Edited)

lmac 212 snake lunapic4b.png

I was struck by the beauty of this week's template by @shaka. It didn't take me long to come up with my fire theme (explained further down in the blog)

Template for LMAC 212
n6Vz756 - Imgur.jpg

The Destructive and Regenerative Power of Fire

I have fire/smoke detectors on every ceiling in my house. There is a fire station about half a mile from my home and there is a fire hydrant on the next block. I can see the hydrant from my bedroom window.

We fear fire, and rightfully so. Fire is ruthless in its destructive fury. And yet, fire is essential to the health of our forests and savannas. There are actually animal and plant species that depend on fire.

One important function (according to the Ocean Blue Project) of a natural fire is that it tends to eliminate invasive species. It also eliminates the weaker members of the plant or animal community.

A fire that does not burn for too long (again according to the Ocean Blue Project) will likely not kill large mammals. These are likely to smell a fire long before it is an immediate danger to them. They will escape, probably. Also, burrowing animals, such as the cottontail rabbit often survive underneath the ground and reemerge after the fire.

Plant species, such as the Sandplain Gerardia Agalinas acuta, thrive after a forest fire. This species is endangered. It needs open space and absence of competing plants to thrive. Fire suppression (fighting forest fires) impedes the growth of this plant.

Sandplain Gerardia(Agalinas acuta)
botanist for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2009 public.jpg
Image credit: Erin King, botanist, Fish and Wildlife Service, USA. Public

After a fire, ferns will also appear quickly. They thrive on the soil enriched by matter deposited after the fire has subsided.

As is true with forest fires, savannas and grasslands require fire as part of their ecological life cycle. As an article posted by the Wildnature Institute explains:

A fire is a feast for some animals, such as birds that come to sites of fires to eat grasshoppers, stick insects, beetles, mice, and lizards that are killed or driven out by the fire.

Plant life resurges in the ash that covers the ground in the fire's wake. The deep roots of the plants survive and in rainy season, which follows fire season, bunch grass grows back so quickly that it may grow as much as an inch in 24 hours. The abundant growth offers food to young antelope calves. And thus the cycle of life continues.

Adult Sable Antelope on African Savanna
Sable_antelope_(Hippotragus_niger)_adult_male savanna charles j. Sharp 4.0 sharp photography.jpg
Image credit: Charles J. Sharp,Sharp Photography. Used under CC 4.0 attribution/share-alike license.

And then there is the fire lily Cyrtanthus ventricosus. This flower pops its glorious head up in as little as two weeks after a fire has subsided. These flowers are only triggered by fire.

My Collage

If you look at the amazing art that was posted in response to the template this week, you will see that my collage is much more literal than most of the others. Those collagists are artists. I'm a hobbyist who is grateful that this community allows me to express my artistic self through collage.

From the beginning of my collage process this week I knew I would focus on the pond, and the cycle of life. This pond seemed to be in the process of reverting to swamp. It was easier for me to represent wake of a forest fire than the pond/swamp cycle in a picture.

I first found the scene of a forest after a fire on Pixabay:
dead-wood-7375089_1280.jpg
I modified that with elements from the template.

lmac 212 e process.png

I added a rocky stream from LIL (my photo in the Gallery)

lmac 212 h process.png

Desaturated the picture (to make color uniform), added blue tint, added mirror image of a tree to look like a sunken tree in the water, and ran the whole thing through a Lunapic filter.
lmac 212 lunapic3 process.png

Played around with the water to make it look as though the stream was flowing into the pond. Started adding animals: lizards, snake, bird, rabbit. Then added the ferns. The idea was to simulate growth after a fire. I gradually added life as I discovered which living thing would appear after a fire. The predator, an eagle, was important to include, because this animal returns to the scene of the fire in order to feed on survivors.

I highlighted some of the colors to make them stand out in the picture. My final result I think is a little chaotic, but it is informative :)

lmac 212 snake lunapic4b.png

Elements Used in Making the Collage

These include 5 from the LMAC Gallery (one of them mine). Thank you friends and colleagues :) Also, I used 5 from Pixabay. Thank you to those contributors.

LMAC and LIL

LIL is not only a valuable image resource for the Hive community, but is also a way for community members to participate in LMAC. Anyone on Hive can contribute to the library and everyone can borrow from it. Learn about the procedure here.

Every week we offer prizes to fifteen finalists in the contest, but it's not only the prizes people create for. I, for example, don't compete but spend hours giving vent to my imagination. Others in the community have developed the habit of 'speaking' through collage.

This week's contest has concluded. But a new contest will begin tomorrow, with a brand new template. Please join in the fun.

As @shaka has said many times, everyone is an artist. I may not be an artist in the technical sense, but LMAC allows me to nurture my own unique artistic voice.

Thank you for reading. Peace and health to all.

letsmakeacollage ecology fire nature science forests savanna proofofbrain creativecoin art
0
0
0.000
11 comments
avatar

One thing I have come to realize is that with nature, everything is useful, everything is beneficial and nothing is a waste.

This write up pretty much summarizes that. Beautiful collage too 😍

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Beautiful collage

Thank you!

I agree that nature has a balance we don't always understand. Even when it seems cruel, there is probably a plan behind it.

Thank you for stopping by and commenting, @bipolar95

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

This brings to mind one of those strange, alien landscapes you see on the cover of science fiction novels.
You probably know the sort of thing I mean. Anyway, great work.

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Yes, it does look like that 😅

great work

Thanks very much. It was fun, looking up the information about fire-loving life :)

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Okayyy
I love the step to step process of this collage and the final result is awesome
I love where you fixed the rocks too

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

I always enjoy the information you link with your collages. I remember learning about controlled burns after a visit to a national park— I had assumed there was a wild fire when I saw the aftermath! Nicely done with your elements, the end result is lovely and full of meaning. 💗

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Thank you for coming by @grindan. I love to learn when I blog. Since I started blogging on Hive I've received an education:))

I appreciate you visit and kind comment🌈 🌺

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Lovely creation of a burned landscape.Thanks for bringing to light the advantages of a fire, Fire was raging up North again the last week and it is hard to see it’s difficult to image it’s benefits when so many people are driven out of their homes.
I appreciated your use of my lil image of the eagle. He looks great standing out against the stark scenery of a burned forest. 😊
Be well my friend and enjoy these glorious days.

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Hello my friend,
Thank you for stopping by. That eagle does look great. It is a magnificent bird, and you have it cut out so nicely--ready for use :)

I thought of your fires up North when I wrote this. It's hard to reconcile that damage with regeneration. I think fires can be good, but fires that go on and on, I'm not sure they are part of a natural cycle.

These are glorious days. I don't miss winter at all. The time is gone when snow has a charm. The birds have started singing now, and I'm starting to see cats wander around my neighborhood. Babies and families too. It's nice.

Hope you are well and enjoying your backyard friends. Take good care of yourself, dear friend, @redheadpei.

0
0
0.000
Reply