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The “alien” look of a totally earthly and beautiful ghost mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa) from the forests of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar. #mantis #macro #portrait #masagascar #insect #macrophotography #insectsofinstagram #andasibe #alien #ghostmantis #phyllocraniaparadoxa @ilcp_photographers https://www.instagram.com/p/CVQrHPqKcll/?utm_medium=tumblr
Reptile of the Day: Mossy Leaf-Tailed Gecko
I’ve seen animals that are pretty good at blending in with their surroundings before. Caterpillars blend in with tomato leaves, squirrels with browning oak leaves, and sparrows with gray sidewalks. (Hmmm, maybe that last one doesn’t count.) But this mossy leaf-tailed gecko takes the cake.
Read the full post at https://seasonofplenty.com/reptile-of-the-day-mossy-leaf-tailed-gecko/.
Watching you #chameleon #andasibe #madagascar (at Andasibe, Moramanga)
What happens if you print a starry night sky on a frog in Madagascar? You’d probably end up with a beautiful Mantidactylus lugubris like this one shot into the Vohimana forest. #pickoftheday #biodiversity #macrophotography #conservationphotography #wildlife #amphibian #frog #anura #madagascar #vohimana #andasibe #conservation @ilcp_photographers (presso Andasibe Mantadia National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrfgI6pBCnN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1tdtoovvloar7
🇹🇷 Madagaskar: Dünyanın En Sıra Dışı Adasına Kapsamlı Rehber
🌟 Büyük Kızıl Ada’nın Çağrısı Madagaskar sadece bir ada değil; başlı başına bir dünyadır. Milyonlarca yıl önce Afrika ana karasından ayrılan bu devasa kara parçası—Dünya’nın dördüncü büyük adası—başka hiçbir şeye benzemeyen bir evrim yolu çizmiştir. Kıyılarına adım atmak, yaban hayatının %90’ının gezegenin başka hiçbir yerinde bulunmadığı yaşayan bir laboratuvara adım atmak gibidir. Kurak batıya…
Three species of lemur complete the day shift at Andasibe: the common brown lemur, lesser bamboo lemur and red bellied lemur. The park is also home to an impressive list of nocturnal lemurs including diminutive mouse lemurs and even the occasional aye aye #Madagascar #lemurs #Andasibe #wildlife #wildlifephotography #primates (at Andasibe Mantadia National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClminnvKR6a/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Madagascar - Day 12 - Anjajavy to Mantadia/Andasibe
I left Anjajavy this morning with a bit of remorse. I feel like I could have done more. I didn't snorkel. I didn't explore the various coves. But it was also time to move on. The rainforest awaits...
The flight from Anjajavy to Tana was....not good. Y'all know I'm not a nervous flyer. Turbulence does not bother me. I've been through 3 or 4 aborted landings. No biggie. Planes are my happy place. But man, do things change when alarms start going off in the cockpit. I was blessed during my other small plane flights. Smooth. No issues. This one was bumpy from the start. I tried to distract myself by reading, but when the older Frenchman sitting next to me starts cursing in French under his breath it's hard to think of anything else but being 10,000 feet in the air.
Obviously things went just fine. But I've never been so happy to see an air control tower in the distance. My mantra: five minutes til Tana, five minutes til Tana....
Back on the ground in Tana I am met by Fan and Dadi. We put my shit in the car and start the 4 hour drive to Vakona Lodge.
I really enjoyed the...
Stop. The lodge just lost power. Remind me to never leave without my torch....
I really enjoyed the ride out here. I got to see a different part of the country that I had just flown over previously. Passing through small towns, watching boys 'patch' the numerous potholes in the road and put their hands out for a few ariary, all the women working the ride paddies, and countless villages that don't have electricity, yet giant electric towers soar overhead.
We end up stopping for a quick bite to eat at Moramanga. The largest city between Andasibe and Tana. Contrary to the Bradt guide, Moramanga does not mean "cheap mangoes". Mora does indeed mean "cheap" but manga, while it can mean mango, in this instance (and in all other instances I've seen) it means "blue." And, once upon a time, Madagascar had a caste system. And "blue people" were the lowest in the system. They were the slaves. Moramanga wasn't a place to buy cheap mangoes, it was a place to buy cheap slaves. And it makes sense given its location - smack dab in the middle of a major thoroughfare to the capital and one of the largest ports in the country.
Anyway. We stop for a bite to eat. I get fried shrimp (pro tip: fried food will almost never be an issue for your stomach. That dip in the hot oil kills all bad things). About 15 minutes after we arrive I notice a familiar face - an older couple who was at Anjajavy has stopped at the same restaurant. But, being American, they didn't have any ariary. They just assumed everywhere would take dollars. Bank of Kirs saved them and I took some dollars for some of my ariary.
About an hour later we arrive at Vakona Lodge. It's dreary right now. Cold. Rainy. I'm not sure I'm equipped for this. The staff all laugh at my Malagasy. Sad Kirs.
I'm told I need to pick my dinner now. The menu is ... Very Western. They have an entirety different menu of Malagasy food, but apparently that isn't part of my full board. Fan promises to talk to them tomorrow. I don't want spaghetti for dinner. But for tonight I choose a starter and entree. I get a side eye when I say I don't eat dessert. I don't! Sorry!
Luckily I have the cabin closest to the lodge. No long walk in the dark, wet, cold. But I get there and dear lord it's freezing. I put my things down, close the window above the heater, and head back to the lodge in search of WiFi, warmth, and wine.
I find all three. I'm allowed to reserve a table by the giant fireplace. It's one of those multi sided things that you usually see in ski lodges. I'm happy to see it here. I'm just gonna camp out and drink red wine to stay warm.
I think I'm the only American here. We have some Aussies, Frenchies, Brits, and my first encounter with Chinese tourists in Madagascar. Man, the Malagasy do NOT like the Chinese tourists. And they have a love hate relationship with China's money helping with their infrastructure. They want the new roads, but every Malagasy I talk to says, essentially, "But at what cost? Our rosewood? Our ebony? What other resources do they want?" Is this just another colonization?
So I'm sitting here in the lodge. Thankful for fireplaces. I don't think I felt this cold in Moscow.
Tomorrow I meet my guide. And we head to Mantadia. Where there are leaches. And, hopefully, diademed Sifaka and indri. And all the birds and geckos and chameleons and other beautiful creatures. I'm not done with you yet, Madagascar.
50 Shades of Green - Vohimana Forest
