Washington, DC is populated with renowned stone edifices and towering monuments. Some even call our nation’s capital “American Rome.” Of course, national treasures are not limited to the metropolitan and man-made. Sublime natural beauty abounds in the parks of the Potomac River watershed.

Battlefields, wildlife preserves, canals, aquatic gardens, forests. The National Capitol Region has them all. And the National Park Service celebrates them in “A Photographer’s Path: Images of National Parks Near the Nation’s Capital,” available through GPO.

A Photographer’s Path: Images of National Parks Near the Nation’s Capital

National Park Service photographer Thomas Paradis spotlights the idyllic, artful, and even curious scenes within the region. It’s a “pictorial journey” that “reveals the subtlety and nuance of our natural landscapes.”

Now, I’ll let the images speak for themselves:

Swallowtail perched on branch. Manassas National Park

Looking toward Chimney Rock. Catoctin Mountain Park

Heron over Great Falls. Great Falls Park…