Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park

On our first day visiting Yosemite National Park located in Northeastern California, we entered The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia Trees, near the park's South Entrance. The grove contains about 500 mature giant sequoias. Giant sequoias are perhaps the largest living things on Earth, and may exceed 3,000 years in age!

Almost as soon as my husband and I entered Yosemite we saw this coyote crossing the road.  It was to be one of the few wild animals that we see the next few days, so it was an exciting sight for us to see!

Worth reading, this park placard gives information about the Giant Sequoias and some of the history of their preservation.  (All photos will enlarge if clicked on once, and then click on again when they open in a new page)

The "Fallen Monarch" tree roots. This tree fell more than three hundred years ago. You can see how massive these trees are!

Another view of the "Fallen Monarch."

In this famous 1899 photograph, U. S Cavalry officers on their horses are up on top of the very same "Fallen Monarch" tree. Tannic acid in the wood suppresses the initial growth of fungi and bacteria, essentially arresting decay. Only when rain and melting snow have leached the tannin from the wood can decay begin. Biologists suspect that this tree had been down several hundred years before the Cavalry photograph was taken.  Photo source

The "Bachelor and Three Graces." A group of four trees, three of them growing very close together, with a fourth a little more distant.  It is said that their roots are all so tightly entwined that if one tree should fall, they would probably all fall.

The "Grizzly Giant" is one of the largest trees in the Mariposa Grove and, at an estimated age of 2,700 years, one of the oldest living Sequoias.  It has survived forest fires and many other perils.  The informational placard in the middle of this photo mosaic shows it's size in relation to other well known objects.

A cute squirrel we saw along the grove's hiking path.

Some 50 yards beyond the Grizzly Giant is the "California Tunnel Tree," cut in 1895 for stagecoaches. Another tree, the "Wawona Tree," had a tunnel cut through it in the nineteenth century that was wide enough for horse-drawn carriages and early automobiles to drive through. Weakened by the large opening at its base, the tree fell down in a storm in 1969.

The "Faithful Couple" are two large trees which have fused together at their base but remain clearly separated above.

Some beautiful flowers growing in the Mariposa Grove.

In my next blog post I'll show more of Yosemite National park and the spectacular views from Glacier Point!

I'm linking with Mary at The Little Red House for "Mosaic Monday." Click on the link to enjoy her beautiful mosaic and to find the links to all the blogs participating today!