Mother Nature's paint pot

Some of the amazing natural colours formed around many of the hot springs and geysers in Yellowstone National Park. Taken at Fountain Paint Pots Trail, Lower Geyser Basin, on 13 September 2012, the third day of a wonderful week's trip with my amazing friends from England, Linda and Tony.

"Bacteria and other thermophiles (heat loving microorganisms) usually form the ribbons of color like you see here. Green, brown, and orange mats are cyanobacteria, which can live in waters as hot as 167 F (73 C). At this temperature they are usually yellow-green. They become orange, rust, or brown as the water cools. In cooler water other thermophiles may appear that will modify the colors even more. Color may also change due to stress, such as the intense sunlight of mid summer."

www.nps.gov/features/yell/tours/fountainpaint/bacteria.htm