Fern Niche . . . Glacier National Park
On the road in the American Northwest.

The Fitting Together of the World . . .

The word niche comes to us from the Latin, nidus; it means nest,
but in in this context not the deliberately built nest of, for example,
birds, but rather a nest-like space which is taken advantage
of by one species, and provided almost by accident by another.

In the photograph, a rock wall provides both physical space and
an appropriate growing habitat—protected from winds, with warm
West-facing sun exposure, and a constant trickle-supply of summer
snow-melt water.

A part of the charm of rugged alpine environments is the abundance
of these subtle relationships fitting together.

NEW: To view / purchase different sized prints of this image at the
PhotoWeek Store click here. view as SLIDESHOW |
[http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/cliffcards/photoweek]