New from BBC Earth: America's National Parks

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Once hailed as 'America’s best idea', Yellowstone was the world's first national park. Changing the way we interact with nature, the Pulitzer prize-winning author Wallace Stegner put it best when he said national parks "reflect us at our best, not our worst". In the gigantic 3.5million square miles of land, Yellowstone is host to a large number of interesting animal species, including bison, cougars, lynx, bobcats and coyotes. The whole park actually sits on a caldera, often referred to as a 'supervolcano', and has at its heart the same conditions that brought about the start of life on Earth. This means it holds one of the world’s natural wonders. The volcano means Yellowstone remains geologically very active. Recent changes in the volcanic springs have killed these pines by cooking their roots, as the branches freeze in winter. It's safe to say that Yellowstone is a place of natural beauty that's inspired conservation and preserved countless areas of outstanding natural interest around the world.

Once hailed as 'America’s best idea', Yellowstone was the world's first national park.

Changing the way we interact with nature, the Pulitzer prize-winning author Wallace Stegner put it best when he said national parks "reflect us at our best, not our worst".

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In the gigantic 3.5million square miles of land, Yellowstone is host to a large number of interesting animal species, including bison, cougars, lynx, bobcats and coyotes.

The whole park actually sits on a caldera, often referred to as a 'supervolcano', and has at its heart the same conditions that brought about the start of life on Earth.

This means it holds one of the world’s natural wonders.

The volcano means Yellowstone remains geologically very active. Recent changes in the volcanic springs have killed these pines by cooking their roots, as the branches freeze in winter.

It's safe to say that Yellowstone is a place of natural beauty that's inspired conservation and preserved countless areas of outstanding natural interest around the world.

This three-part award winning series for the BBC Natural History Unit is all about Yellowstone National Park in America, one of the world's largest areas of spectacular wilderness, and bigger than many states in the US. This a landscape filled with lush meadows, deep forests and violent hot springs.

The series follows the antics of its iconic inhabitants, such as the grizzly bear, grey wolf and herds of antelope and buffalo. Watch how each of these animal's fortunes is linked to another, in this truly engaging and emotional story about the struggle to survive through the seasons in Yellowstone.

Photo: 'Skelton trees',  credit Paul D. Stewart

For more information: http://www.bbcearth.com/programmes/yellowstone/