Photography : Land & Sky: Dancing dust devil
A dust devil dances between two telephone poles along the I-10 highway outside Las Cruces, New Mexico. Dust devils are formed by rising bubbles of hot air which start spinning faster, increasing wind speed, and pick up dust from the surface. They require strong sunlight and a flat surface to form, which is why so many are observed in the Southwest. I find this photo amusing because I had been in the Southwest seven years before finally taking a picture of a dust devil. This particular one was magnificent, lasting 20 minutes and reaching high into the sky.
Below are two photos showing the vertical extent the dust devil lifted its dust.
