The Colors of Plitvice

On this summertime visit to Plitvice National Park in Croatia the waterfalls were not as full nor as numerous as in the spring but the colors of the water in the lakes and streams were amazing.  The limestone beds, algae, reflections from the sky, rock cliffs and trees gave almost a full spectrum of colors.

This is my favorite shot of all; I love the soft colors of—and reflected in—the lake as well as the rustic, curving path.

The algae and the reflected sky brighten this shady spot.

I don't have a star filter on my camera but the reflections look celestial.

No enhancements of this water!  It actually looks this color!

The cliffs even have a bluish cast to them.

There must be half a dozen shades of teal/aqua in this scene.

Fallen tree limbs are quickly coated with calcium in the water, turning them shades of white, yellow and gray (or is that taupe?).

The water looks white in this shallow area.

It seems the fronds of these water plants have taken on some of the colors of the water.  Click image to enlarge.

There are several caves along the paths, which reminds me: there are bears in Plitvice.  More about that below.

You can see in the reflection in this photo, some of the trees are starting to turn.  I'd love to come back in autumn and winter to see the differences.

The reflections of the cliffs and trees bring more colors to the lake.

Another indication autumn is coming. 

And, as I mentioned, there are bears in the park.  So if you should find yourself walking alone from parking lot 1 to parking lot 2 after dark and after the buses stop running, you can have a rather stressful experience.  A good suggestion, learned the hard way, is to park in parking lot 1 and take the bus to the top of the lakes, walk down to the bottom and you'll be close to parking lot 1.  And try not to be there after the sun goes down because it is very, very, very dark.  A park employee told us later you should clap your hands as you walk if you find yourself out there after dark.