Leucadia White (Melete leucadia)

Leucadia White (Melete leucadia)

This individual was infrequently accompanied by the beautiful Orsilochus Daggerwing which too was sucking up salts from the sand. This the beginning of the…


Cleistocactus samaipatanus

Cleistocactus samaipatanus

Finding cacti on the sheer cliffs of Refugio Los Volcanes was a surprise to me! I saw their red flowers  from afar, but assumed totally different species.


Pale Sulphur (Aphrissa statira)

Pale Sulphur (Aphrissa statira)

Noel Kempff Mercado National Park has the river Paraguá as a natural border in the west, and on the shores of the river you'll see a large number of insect…


Cardon cactus (Echinopsis tarijensis)

Cardon cactus (Echinopsis tarijensis)

When not in bloom it looks just like the white-flowering Echinopsis atacamensis, but this one is much rarer, and I found only one with flower here on the…


Cardon cactus (Echinopsis tarijensis)

Cardon cactus (Echinopsis tarijensis)

When not in bloom it looks like the white-flowering Echinopsis atacamensis, but this one is much rarer, and I found only one with flower here on the slopes of…


Cactus nest on Isla del Pescado (Fish Island)

Cactus nest on Isla del Pescado (Fish Island)

For birds that have a need to build nests above ground, a desert has few options, so they learn to deal with the spines and use them to their advantage. It…


Cardon cactus (Trichocereus atacamensis ssp. pasacana)

Cardon cactus (Trichocereus atacamensis ssp. pasacana)

The white-spined variety is my favourite of the cacti here, and with the backdrop of the white salt flats they create a surreal feeling of ice and snow!


Cardon cactus (Trichocereus atacamensis ssp. pasacana)

Cardon cactus (Trichocereus atacamensis ssp. pasacana)

The flowers of this species are simply gorgeous! Huge, juicy and dripping with resin! Without these cacti, the local insect and bird populations would have a…


Trichocereus atacamensis

Cardon cactus (Trichocereus atacamensis ssp. pasacana)

Many of the local guides regard the white-spined Echinopsis atacamensis as a separate species from the brown-spined, but evidently this is one species that has…


Cardon cactus (Trichocereus atacamensis ssp. pasacana)

Cardon cactus (Trichocereus atacamensis ssp. pasacana)

Many of the local guides regard the white-spined Echinopsis atacamensis as a separate species from the brown-spined, but evidently this is one species that has…