Visions of Nature is a collection of time-lapse videos created by Kurt Reinhart. Music is by Moby.

The movie includes a series of sequences that Kurt shot while living in Indiana followed by more recent footage shot in Montana and Wyoming.

Researchers at Fort Keogh Livestock & Range Research Laboratory in eastern Montana conduct fire ecology research. The filmed sequence shows them conducting spring burns. The experiment is in its 6th year and manipulates fire season (no fire, spring, summer, or fall burns) and fire return interval (no fire or burns every 1, 3 or 6 years). The burns follow a specific burn plan and guidelines for experimental research burning.

A video short created for the video contest, “A momentary lapse” showing some of the many adventures and activities in two of the U.S.’s parks. Content is a series of timelapse sequences.

Here are three timelapse sequences showing the research group at USDA-ARS Fort Keogh Livestock & Range Research Laboratory (larrl.ars.usda.gov/) setting prescribed fires in 2009 and 2011.

Prescribed burning (or controlled burning) is used to reduce hazardous fuel loads that may accumulate, restore/improve natural systems, alter vegetative communities, improve wildlife and livestock habitat, control pests, and improve access. A prescribed fire is one that is applied knowingly to vegetative fuels of a specific area and under specific weather conditions to accomplish a specific objective. Prescribed burning is a common management practice of ecosystems that historically experienced frequent fire return intervals.

The areas to be burned are surrounded by a fire break (dirt road, mowed area, or recently disked pasture). This is essentially a strip of ground with little to no fuel for the fire to spread across often combined with a wet line on any residual fuels. The crews start a back fire (fire that burns against the prevailing wind) using a drip torch to establish a “black line” that provides an additional buffer to prevent the fire from escaping containment. Both groups start from a common anchor point from a down wind location of the unit to be burned. A support crew, with fire fighting equipment, follows maintaining the line, and ready to put out any spot fires to avoid starting a wildfire (fire outside of fire/black line). The most intense fire occurs just after the two back fires connect into a loop and a head fire forms.

The beginning sequence was from a series of plot burns that started just after night and lasted until about 2am. Night burns are not typical but provide additional options for having fires during periods of time when day time conditions are not suitable for prescribed fires (i.e. too hot, dry, or windy). This facility implements burns as part of experiments in spring, summer, and fall.

Photos and time-lapse footage of a large wildfire (Ash Creek Fire) in eastern Montana. Livestock include: cow and calf and sheep and goats.

“Looking Back” is a collaboration between a photographer/videographer and artist. This two minute short consists mostly of time-lapse video showing the process of painting by artist Mika Holtzinger. Mika skillfully works with colored pencils, paints, and pens to create layered pieces of art. She has a unique artistic style that focuses on elements from the natural world. She has worked previously on stage with musicians while creating works of art. So this project, with only a photographer, was a breeze for her.

If you’re interested in learning more about Mika and her art then checkout her website (mikaholtzinger.com).

Time-lapse short of western life in (eastern) Montana.

I’ve met numerous people over the years that believed cowboys only exist in movies. Well, if you spend all your time in urban areas that is easy to conclude. In many areas of the world, cowboys, Gauchos, etc. remain a part of their society’s identity even if many think they no longer exist.

Throughout the world, many cultures share a common identify & lifestyle associated with forms of pastoralism–the (often sustainable) conversion of grass into protein and clothing. This is a magical process where livestock manage to transform unpalatable grasses into protein that provide food & fiber helping to sustain our growing societies.

Right in the heart of winter in eastern Montana, we have this fun outdoor event where we stop traffic for a day and turn our historic main street into a showcase of western life and livestock. Livestock producers come to town to show off their yearling bulls. We got lucky this year & temps tipped up to 40F but every year is different. This video short shows the goings on at a fast pace.

Damping-off is a movie short on the widespread but mostly unnoticed disease of plants. I say unnoticed because the plants appear to wilt away and most would conclude the cause was limitation of plant available moisture. The movie short exposes the secretive predation of plants, especially seedlings, by several types of pathogenic microbes commonly lurking in the soil. All content is of native plants and plant communities. Our heroine, black cherry, is one of the most valuable timber species in the USA and is the source of cherry wood used in fine woodworking. Many other plant species are affected by Pythium, however, the movie focuses on black cherry because it was the focus of Kurt’s research for several years. All time-lapse videos and still photographs are the copyright of Kurt Reinhart.

Warning: Plants were deliberately harmed in the filming of this movie.

Music Confugium corvorum by Axis Mundi Actum found on Jamendo.com (part of the Creative Commons- creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). Damping-off will be entered in the (4th) Chlorofilms’ film contest (chlorofilms.org/).

A movie short showing the lives of plants in natural forests. This short illustrates the dynamics of forests, their environmental variability, and the reproductive structures (flowers) of trees and forbs. All content is of native plants and plant communities. All time-lapse videos and still photographs are the copyright of Kurt Reinhart. Music was generously provided and licensed by Moby for noncommercial film uses (mobygratis.com/film-music.html).

This movie will be entered in the 2010 Chlorofilms’ film contest (chlorofilms.org/).

Time-lapse video showing anther develop of a blue grama grass inflorescence. This sequence used keying to create the illusion of growth in the field.

This video shows sheep grazing in experimental plots.

This time-lapse video shows a sequence of video segments illustrating root growth and disease (root rot) relative to control seedlings. This video is not for the faint of heart and does not depict scenes of natural beauty or tranquility. Instead, the video depicts the struggle for life and relatively cryptic predation of plants by microbes (specifically Pythium a soil-borne plant pathogen). Although these interactions are often invisible to everyone but the careful observer, they are commonplace.

You’re watching a video of redbud flowers apparently dancing and opening.

Time-lapse video showing the opening of a larkspur (Delphinium) flower.

Light is a critical resource for plants and surviving in a forest understory presents its own challenges. This time-lapse shows the erratic movements of sunflecks in a deciduous forest in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

American chestnut trees dominated eastern deciduous forests less than a century ago and are now mostly gone… This video was shot with Sam Orr.

Time-lapse of black locust seedlings growing.

Time-lapse video of a forest undergoing seasonal change. This was a joint project with Sam Orr.

Video demonstrating a prescribed burn in an Eastern Montana grassland as part of a research project.

Time-lapse video of sunrise on the eastern Montana prairie.

Time-lapse video showing front and side angles of a tulip poplar flower opening!

Time-lapse video showing fuzzy caterpillars consuming a sycamore leaf.

Time-lapse video sequence showing monarch caterpillar clip and then consume the leaf of a milkweed plant.

Time-lapse video of wild trout lily flower opening!

Time-lapse video of black cherry flowers opening!

Time-lapse video of mushroom growing!