A sharp-eyed observer might notice small, dense clusters of trees in the middle of open fields in the Bighorn Mountains. These islands of subalpine firs are called "atols" and grow together to create their own ideal microclimates in a harsh landscape.
Wendy Johnson was driving through Granite Pass in the Bighorn Mountains when she noticed something beautiful and inexplicable.
They were clusters of conifers, like an island in a sea of grass, the B… [+6556 chars]
They were clusters of conifers, like an island in a sea of grass, the B… [+6556 chars]