Thursday, March 7, 2013

The Bayou Palette - Chromatic variability and diversity


What's the color of Buffalo Bayou? It depends. It depends on many things: what's in it, what's over it, the lighting, the time of day, your perception, and - in the case of photos - the appearance can of course be altered with photo-editing software. 


Suffice it to say, Buffalo Bayou is rarely blue. Much of the Bayou does not have the opportunity to appear blue because of the thick green foliage canopy over it, at least for a great part of the year. Brownish-olive is probably the most recognizable and most common color, at least in George Bush Park and when seen from the trails running alongside the Bayou on North and South banks. But every generalization has its exception. So, to make the point: bayou aficionados can find the azur not just above on a gorgeous day, but also below, -- rather than merely encountering the brown and the murky, not to mention paddling downstream on it. 

Less common: Blue sky reflected in Buffalo Bayou in winter
More common appearance: brownish-olive colored
Buffalo Bayou in the riparian wilderness deep inside Barker Reservoir
Bayou under open sky at sunset - with green grass on banks (March 2013)
Lower bank of Buffalo Bayou downstream from Highway 6 (March 16, 2013 photo)



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