"It's a sanctuary for all life, large and small."
Ray Johnston
Your Friday photo is in honor of Earth Month and the ecosystem at Meher Mount…
Watering holes are vital to various ecosystems. At Meher Mount, that watering hole is the pond near the Visitor Center. It attracts and sustains a wide variety of wildlife — both day and night — that call the mountain home.
You might even see some of these residents during your visit. Sam Ervin photographed this deer stopping by the pond for a drink of water.
“The pond is an essential part of Meher Mount’s role as a sanctuary for all life, large and small. A hub for life in a challenging environment. ”
Open water is scarce atop Sulphur Mountain in the dry months. So the pond is a lifeline for the many species that depend on having access to an open water source.
This tiny pond is usually alive with birds, insects, and sometimes larger animals.
Nights at the pond are busy and often loud with a chorus of frogs and the sound of nocturnal wings, hooves, and tiny feet running through the leaves.
All are part of the ecosystem at Meher Mount.
~ Ray Johnston
Ecosystem: A community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) and nonliving elements interacting with each other and their surroundings (environment) and weather to form a bubble of life.
Natural ecosystems are broadly classified into two types: Terrestrial (land) such as desert, grassland, mountain, rain forest; and aquatic (water) such as ocean, rivers, lakes.