Miami, Wynwood Walls Art District. Oh yes, there is an official museum where well-known official artists show their art – and sell it for astronomical prices. But the real art is in the streets. The complete industrial site has become one large piece of living art by graffiti and other artists. Forget Banksy. This is street art in its purest form
On day 9 the destination was Miami. Oh yes, I took a lot of pictures in the city. But only these ones are worth showing. The picture with hands (very kind man and woman begged me to take their picture).
Many houses in Miami. But well, I think the pictures of the houses are rather boring.
Miami beach which is… well, a beach with a lot of people and of course water where you can stand in
The famous strip where walking goes faster than driving – even if you have a fancy car
The Rosa Parks seats in the buses (if you don’t know who Rosa Parks is, you’re living in youre white bubble and definitely have to look her up). By the way, those bus drivers were really the most friendly bus drivers I have ever seen! Proud of their job, waiting for people, helping people, giving directions and even at the end of a shift telling the next driver where certain passengers need to get out
Merritt Island. Too many bird, so I’ll skip a lot of them. Also some other creatures, such as manatees, turtles, tortoises, spiders…
Next morning we were welcomed by this Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) walking through our garden. A miniature deer, but what beautiful eyes!
These colors of the mangroves!
Snorkling at the reef
Schematic display of a stay in the Keys, Florida USA
From Miami to Key West
It’s too much!
It´s been a while since I’ve been there, but I just have to share some more pictures of this beautiful, intriguing island in the Indian ocean.
First part was in the south. Tulear with fishermen, water taxis and birds like the beautiful tropicbird.
Then up to Antsokay an Anakao with birds lik the olive bee-eater and magpie-robin.
Further to the Mangily spiny forest, and from there to Zombitse
“Looking forward to see your pictures of insects of Madagascar,” my former colleague Gert van Ee said when I posted the first results from the Madagascar trip. Gert is a well-known insect expert in the Netherlands.
“I’ll see what I can find, but I’m afraid we didn’t see many insects,” I replied. “And it will take some time to go through those 15.000 pictures.”
So this is the result. A couple of insects indeed, and some other arthropods as well (arachnids)
(lead picture: Brilliant blue – Junonia rhadama)
Madagascar Forest nymph – Aterica raben
Green lady – Graphium cyrnus (feeding on dung)
Walker’s owl – Erebus macrops (Huge! Like 15 cm.)
Giraffe-necked weevil – Trachelophorus giraffa
Praying mantis ( I apologise for not always finding the exact species names – If you know them do not hesitate to mention them)
Green stick insect – Achrioptera manga
Madagascar Flatid leaf insect – Phromnia rosea. They look like flowers, but they are tiny insects (see detail)
Black & White curculionidae weevil – Rhytidophloeus rothschildi
Grasshopper – locust (pretending to be larger than life)
Madagascar black scorpion – Grosphus madagascariensis
Huntsman spider – Damastes sp. (Like 10 cm big. And spitting venom to the guides!)
Golden orb web spider – Nephila sp. (Huge female, like 15 cm. And a tiny but very brave male behind her, hoping to mate but fearing to be eaten)
Zebra spider – Viridasius sp. (Huge! Like 15 cm, and living in our lodge)
Red crab backed orb weaver – Medium wing kitespider – Gasteracantha versicolor (small but beautiful!)
Enormous, really huge wasp – Belonogaster sp.
So we have this experimental photography group. Just playing around a little. This time the Italian Cinque Terre coast, but not as you know it. What do you think of it?
Back to Madagascar. Lots and lots of chameleons, lizards, frogs and snakes. Too much, I’d say. So here’s a whole bunch of them. Pay attention to the perfect disguise of the different chameleons (the smallest less than 5 cm!), the mossy leaf-tailed gecko’s, the beautiful frogs…
And did you know they even have Nile crocodiles? It’s all too much!
De Portrettenmaker 