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A California treasure, conserved
In a small corner of Northern California’s central valley, parched brown fields lie tucked between gently rolling farmlands. For 5 months of the year, the area is pleasant but unremarkable. Surrounded by small towns and agriculture, most people drive by without knowing about the treasures lying just over the fence line.Then, coming over the rise in early spring after the winter rains, you’ll see a transformed panorama of lush-green Purple needlegrass meadows and riotous patches of bright yellow Goldfields and Yellow Carpet, Mariposa lilies, and sky-blue Downingia. It is a place that for the best views and most interesting photographs one has to tread carefully and lie on one’s belly in the soft grasses. Read More.
Madagascar: A story of conservation hope through education
There is a supernatural ambiance to Madagascar’s incredibly diverse habitats, rich species biodiversity, implausibly-unique animals, strange drought tolerant plants, and stunningly beautiful landscapes.Pre-pandemic, ecotourists came in droves from around the world to see the lemurs and discover for themselves the tiniest chameleon in the world, Brookesia nana, the fairy-like Paradise flycatcher, the odd fleshy-face of Schlegel’s asity, and the red, succulent-like plants perched on the razor-sharp Tsingy rock. Read more
Building Conservation Capacity in Cambodian Communities
The Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre (BBC), located just north of Siem Reap, is South East Asia’s largest outdoor butterfly exhibit. It was developed in an area that has a small national park and forests nearby and a predictably steady stream of tourists (that is until the Covid-19 pandemic). Founded by Ben Hayes (UK) to conserve the butterflies and forests of Cambodia, it provides a sustainable, conservation-based income for the local people from villages in the Siem Reap Province. Mr. Hayes is a consultant and biodiversity coordinator with Conservation International and has decades of experience in biological consulting and biodiversity surveys across habitats in SouthEast Asian countries. Over the past 15 years he has replicated this model butterfly program across many countries in SE Asia and Africa, providing financial security and conservation awareness with people in communities that border forest habitats. Read more.
Strikingly beautiful and behaviorally fascinating
Glowing brilliant white in the early morning tropical sun, graceful and balletic, I’ve recently added the white-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) to my list of all-time favorite bird species for both their beauty and their interesting behaviors.After photographing the birds every morning for almost two weeks on the coast of Bermuda, it would only take the sound of their courtship call for me to be rushing for my camera. I was addicted to watching and photographing their interesting behaviors as they renewed their monogamous bonds after being solitary nomads at sea for most of the year. Read More