Orange Mound Dome: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

The dead trees in this photo cannot stand the extreme conditions that surround the odd features throughout Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Although the Orange Mounds in this photograph have lower temperatures than other vents and geysers, they are still hot enough to dissolve limestone on which the mound sits before depositing it in the form of travertine back up at the surface. Bacteria and algae add color to the otherwise bland travertine and make nature photographs from here look not quite natural.