Portrait of a Western Larch (Larix occidentalis)

A perfectly illuminated and isolated western larch in full autumn golden glory! One of the most unusual and beautiful trees - this conifer is not an evergreen. Rather it is deciduous, allowing its needles to loose chlorophyll and cease photosynthesis in the fall, turning the needles yellow before falling off before winter. There are only a handful of 'deciduous conifer' species in the world including other varieties of larch, cypress and the 'dawn redwood.'
.
I was fortunate to catch the first light of the day on this young larch as the sun peaked over a canyon section of the West Fork of the Clearwater River, near Seeley Lake, Montana