Valerie
This young girl sells bananas on the edge of a main road in the north of Madagascar. Street vendors and market hawkers are common throughout the island.
Fruity Giggles
Valerie and her cousins, Felosah and Nambui, laugh together as they pose for a photograph with their bananas. Monte D’Ambre reserve, Madagascar.
Fariah and Lakoti
These two sisters live in a remote village on the foothills of Monte D’Ambre, an extinct volcano in the far north of Madagascar.
Valerie
After packing up her bananas and other goods for the marketplace, Valerie rests on a pile of timber, a sign that logging is ongoing in the forest surrounding Monte D’Ambre.
Cow Herd
Two brothers lead their cattle through thick terrain on their way to a marketplace in a nearby village.
Mating Butterflies
Jagged wing tips ring this brightly colored pair. Many butterfly species found on the islands are migratory.
Montane Epiphytes
The humid climate of D’Ambre national park is perfect for the growth of ferns and bracken.
Rich Soil
The forest’s thin layer of top soil supports an abundance of flora and fauna. The place was teeming with bird, reptile and insect life.
Jungle Carpet
On the eastern slopes of Madagascar’s central ridge, where rain falls the year round, the jungle is deep and thick.
Leafy Bottom
Rain courses down the sides of steep mountains and collects along the fertile valleys in rivers and streams. Here broad leaves are advantageous in their ability to capture sunlight.
Old Roots
Strangler vines have the unique ability of sending their roots in search of fertile ground, in any direction imaginable. Thick vines twist and strangle each other in their search for sunlight.
Tropical Bracken
Epiphytes, ferns and bracken fill the dark void left behind in the almost explosive growth of tropical plants and fungi.
Sun Blessed
Streams of light fall on this fern with long, crinkly leaves. Sunlight is a rare commodity in the depths of this thick jungle.
Ferny Families
Different types of epiphytes and ferns crowd the undergrowth in this forest in Northern Madagascar.
Red Path
Large conifers and evergreens line this sun baked pathway in Monte D’Ambre Reserve.
Overhang
Bracken and ferns hang from the branches of tall trees, absorbing nutrients from their bark and water from dew droplets.
Crown of Ferns
Tree trunks are covered in the rich, green foliage of epiphytes and strangler vines.
D’Ambre Canopies
Branches and vines, leaves and twigs, epiphytes and trees. All jostle for space at the heights of the jungle canopy.
King of Ferns
Roots spill over onto a rich mound of soil in the lower reaches of the valley.
Shaded Woodlands
Lemurs and other mammalian species favor this type of protected habitat. The mountainous forest is cooler than areas closer to the sea.
Old Giants
Age old conifers and hardwoods towered above us in this mountainous forest in Northern Madagascar.
Frilled Leaves
Epiphytes share nutrients and water with the trees that they grow upon.
A Map of Trees
This canopy of trees resembled a meshwork of small rivers and green islands against the backdrop of a great blue sky.
Trees of Madagascar
A whole manner of plants and trees bustle for space is this forest off the slopes of Monte D’Ambre.
Short Cut
A female Monte D’Ambre Chameleon crosses from one tree to another on a thin line of strangler fig.
Edge of the Forest
Monte D’Ambre is a large mountain in the north of Madagascar. Its fertile slopes support an ancient forest brimming with exotic plants and endemic wildlife.
Shades of Green
A fern’s leaves glow in the gentle sunlight of the forest undergrowth.
Forest Road
A clearing in the vegetation creates a dirt track through the dense jungle growth.
Shadows in the Foliage
Leaves and epiphytes dripping with moisture take root in the thin layer of soil on the jungle floor. Many of Madagascar’s plant species are endemic to the island.
Warm Tracks
Iron rich soil and sun-baked clay create a straight road on the edge of the forest.
Shades of Green
Impressive camouflaging ability being displayed by this Monte D’Ambre chameleon adds an important dimension to its stealthy tactics.
Fringe of Ferns
Epiphytes grow on trees, absorbing nutrients and minerals from their hosts and providing an environment for arboreal animals to live in.
New Growth
Young shoots and leaves emerge g=from a green cluster on the side of this evergreen bark.
Tree Wall
A thick wall of tropical trees and plants marks the edge of this mountainous forest in the far north of Madagascar.
Arid Plant Life
The thin blades of a succulent plant glisten in the evening light in a clearing in Monte D’Ambre forest reserve.
Red Dust
The iron rich soil and sun drenched clay that make up this forest path gave it a fiery hue in the gentle evening light.
Horizons
Tropical pine trees line the foreground in this view of far flung islands.
Monte D’Ambre Chameleon
The forest was full of chameleon species, some no larger than a finger nail.