A trail camera was activated on April 4 in Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the area that burned in the 54,000-acre Legion Lake Fire that started on December 11, 2017. The device was activated by movement, so wildlife wandering by triggered the shooting of several still images, giving us a time-lapse of green-up following the fire.
It’s amazing to see how fast the prairie turned green after the fire! Park staff left this trail cam in place from April 4th until today.
The camera was motion activated, so thanks to the wildlife, you get to see the transformation!#HiFromSD #SDInTheField #DiscoverBlackHills pic.twitter.com/tYNHrE3DPB
— Custer State Park (@CusterStatePark) June 1, 2018
Below are photos we shot of the fire in December.
Strictly speaking, trail cams are activated by infrared radiation, not movement as such. That is why those of us who use them a lot get many “sun bounce” exposures and even some activation from warm air currents. A small animal or bird up close will trigger the camera — but so will a car or truck sixty yards away, because it has a big IR signature.