There was a greenhouse of cultivated rare flowers there. This one was just outside of the greenhouse.
The tree with ribbons for roots.
One of the caves– there were caves dripping with stalactites (or is it stalagmites?) dimly lit with names like “Fairy’s Cave” and “Silver Dragon Cave.”
Sometimes exploring the nature of Taiwan feels like I’ve truly stepped into an alternate world– everything looks just a little bit familiar except when it doesn’t at all. For instance, there are butterflies, but they aren’t the butterflies I remember–the colors are different, the wings are bigger, or their flight is more bird-like. Or there is greenery in the mountains, but the texture is completely different from what I grew up with. The rose apple is the shape of a pear with the waxy translucent skin of a candle, and the flesh of an almost spongy apple. It must have been so exciting for the early explorers to find this lush green island with its mountains of sleeping volcanos and trees weighed down with fruit. The new variety makes the idea of magic more possible– reality has expanded.
Nothing in the photographs resembles anything from nature where I live. To me, it is all beautiful and because it is not what I know, very exotic.
Your photography is outstanding. I especially enjoy your bird and butterfly pictures.
Thank you! I’m so glad you like my photos. I was a bit leery of some of the ones in this post actually. Taiwan is naturally very beautiful. I wish my photos could capture more of it!
Dear friend,
I like your pictures. Can I use some of them as teaching material in my teaching class?
I think most of my students never pay attention to our natural beauty. Thanks.
Anne