Stephen Mease Photography. October 2018.

This is a photo of a tree and other vegetation taken in Larimer, Colorado. Larimer only gets 20 inches of rainfall per year, which is about half of the national average of 39 inches, but it receives 88 inches of snow per year. When the snow melt, most of runoff turns into groundwater. This high amount of groundwater, leads to a very healthy ecosystem. As you can see, this photo was taken towards the base of the mountain. This area benefits from the runoff of nutrients and water to further contribute to a very productive ecosystem.