12th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Pastel Fall Colors in Mountain Meadow

This unaltered photograph shows the amazing fall colors on stems of wild mountain grass in Colorado. My original intent was to capture the monochromatic jades and olives of a mountain meadow, but when I got up close -- down on my knees and crawling on my belly -- I discovered an amazing palette of pastel colors. In the right light, the meadow grass turns pink, orange, lavender, and almost every other imaginable color.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2014
Date Uploaded: 11.2014
Photo Location: Nederland, Colorado, United States of America
Copyright: © David Bahr