Ever since I was a kid, I had an irresistible urge to explore. Now as a scientist researching the dynamics of natural processes, I get to do that for a living! In order to share a taste of the amazing places I've been fortunate enough to see throughout my travels, I've put together the collage of photos below for you all. Enjoy!
My home in the highlands for a few months
Chilly Gonzales -- my field assistant (Chelonoidis chathamensis)
Guayabillo flowers from my reciprocal crossing experiment
This is not just a weird perspective, some of those plants were actually taller than me. They're grown to feed the tortoises at the Galapaguera
Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)
Darwin's Cotton (Gossypium darwinii )
Red Footed Booby playing around with a stick at Punta Pitt
Galapagos Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa darwini )
Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona cooksoni)
Red Footed Booby (Sula sula)
Sierra Negra Tortoise (Chelonoidis guentheri)
Passionfruit ~ Maracuya (Passiflora edulis)
Lava cactus (Brachycereus nesioticus)
Galápagos Lava Lizard (Microlophus albemarlensis)
Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber)
The vista above El Muro de las Lágrimas (the wall of tears) overlooking Puerto Villamil
Los Gemelos (the twins), a pair of massive sinkholes rimmed by one of the largest Scalesia pedunculata forests in Galápagos
Galápagos Carpetweed (Sesuvium edmonstonei)
A look at the highlands from the coast near Puerto Velasco Ibarra
Galápagos Lava Heron (Butorides sundevalli)
Sally Lightfoot Crab (Grapsus grapsus)
Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)
Galápagos Hermit Crab (Coenobita sp)
Fur Seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis)
Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus )
Flightless Cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi )
Waved Albatross Egg & Carpetweed (Sesuvium edmonstonei )
Galapagos Hawk (Buteo galapagoensis )
Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata )
Wild Maracuya (Passiflora foetida var. galapagensis)
Whale Skeleton in Gardner Bay
The view from Bartolome Island (foreground) looking out to one of the fresh lava fields of Santiago (background)
Daisy tree (Scalesia stewartii)
Endemic maracuya (Passiflora tridactylites)