Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus) with bark snails

Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus) with bark snails

You can find these dormant (aestivating) land snails (Achatinelloides) sporadically throughout Socotra, but find them covering an entire Socotra cucumber tree…


Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus)

Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus)

A very young Socotra Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus) that has survived the insatiable appetite of the goats - only because it growing where they cannot…


Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

This is the only place I've encountered Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) on Socotra. It thrives here in the shadow of the tall cliffs of Socotra's northeast, and…


Striated Laughingthrush (Grammatoptila striata)

Striated Laughingthrush (Grammatoptila striata)

I encountered the striated laughingthrush (Grammatoptila striata) many times during my time in Bhutan, but rarely in clear view like this. In fact I thought I…


Hoary-throated barwing (Actinodura nipalensis)

Hoary-throated barwing (Actinodura nipalensis)

Experiencing the rhododendron forests in bloom is an amazing experience in many ways as they are a magnet to so many incredible bird species. Sometimes you may…


Long-tailed sibia (Heterophasia picaoides)

Long-tailed sibia (Heterophasia picaoides)

To the human eye a tree with just these flaming inflorescences is a wonder to behold, but for pollinators and nectar hunters alike this is a welcome and very…


Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)

The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) utilizes their tusks as ice picks when they haul themselves up onto an ice float, and sometimes they might break as is the case…


Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)

These clumsy and fat mammals on land are amazingly fast and agile in the ocean! This encounter by the Seven Islands (Sjuøyane), Svalbard is from a zodiac, and…


Cucumis prophetarum

Cucumis prophetarum

The entirety of cucumis prophetarum plant is really fascinating, and I’ve never seen it before. Native range is Mauritania to Arabian Peninsula, West Asia to…