Upon the Peak

This photograph was taken in St Lucia, in the Caribbean in 2005. St Lucia has dramatic mountains, tropical rainforest, hot mineral springs, pure white sand beaches and clear blue water. There are many beautiful holiday resorts here such as Coconut Bay, Jade Mountain, and Ti Kaye. 

Aquatic Desert

This incredible photo was taken off Vancouver Island on the West coast of North America. There are many tiny islands around Vancouver Island, and you can find schools of Orca Whales by travelling through the waters between the islands. The Orca, otherwise known as the Killer Whale, is a toothed whale belonging to the Aquatic Dolphin family. 

Dilapidated Beauty

This iconic image shows the Old Britannia Copper Mine, now the BC Museum of Mining. Since this photo was taken, the museum has been refurbished to exemplify a neat and modern building in the mountain. Before it was rebuilt, this was a location for Scooby Doo (2002) in the old monster-making factory, and more than 50 other big films.

Boundary of the Water

This photo was taken on the Norfolk Broads in 2008. The Norfolk Broads are a series of rivers in England which are wide and boat-navigable. The Broads are the largest protected wetland and are home to a wealth of wildlife, especially birdlife.

Ruins of Ages Past

This grey and grainy image depicts Bamburgh Castle, built on a beach in Northumberland, England. The location was previously home to a fort of the native Britons known as Din Guarie and may have been the capital of the British kingdom of the region. The castle has a rich and fascinating history which can be explored extensively. 

Seeking Tentacles

This stunning photo depicts a sea anenome, a water-dwelling predatory animal. Contrary to popular opinion the animal is named after the 'anenome' flower rather than the other way around. Sea anenomes are related to coral, jellyfish, hydra and tube-dwelling anenomes. 

Life on the Bank

This photo was taken in Pemberton, BC Canada on the Lillooet River. This village is ancient and houses only a few people  - very traditional members of the local Indian nation. The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern coastal mountains of British Columbia, in the Pemberton Valley north of Whistler Mountain.

On Fire

This picture was taken out of a plane window on the tarmac at Vancouver Airport, Canada, during a thunderstorm which lasted over three hours. We were left to sit on the plane for the duration of the storm after landing at the airport because it was too dangerous for the airport staff. This was back in April, 2009 late in the evening. 

Death in Ice

The trees in this image were photographed in Sussex, England last month. The weather patterns in the UK have been changing rapidly, snowing one day, bright the next, rain for a week. The random weather takes its toll on the countryside, confusing the natural habitats and stunting leaf and shoot growth. 

Perfect Majesty

This image is taken of Whistler Mountain on a warm day near the end of the ski season, mid April 2012. At this time the snow disappears from the lower tree canopies and becomes slushy and sticky - difficult to ski on as the underside can stick to the snow and slow you down. However the peak of Whistler and Blackcomb Glacier remain open well into July for summer skiers. 

Feathered Tangles

The sea is rich with all sorts of anemones, such as pictured here in Vancouver Aquarium, a nonprofit society dedicated to the conservation of sea life. It opened in 1956, and has been visited by 30 million people since that time. The aquarium was Canada's first and it developed a reputation as a modern response to changing conservation and aquatic protection needs.

Journey of the Sea

This photo was taken on Winchelsea Beach, East Susses, England. The ancient town of Winchelsea was a medieval village and ruins of the stone buildings still stand today atop the hill. Winchelsea beach has been a summer beach resort since the 1930s.

Past and Future

This photo was taken at Kennedy Space Centre, NASA, Florida in 2005. To me it represents both the past, the moon landings, and the future, the hope of new inventions to come. Human beings are by nature explorers of that which we want or need. As Ester Bosrup said, "Necessity is the mother of Invention". 

Life Essence

Water. The single most important substance on Earth. From water all other things are made, grown, sustained. It is colorless and tasteless but the simple compound of H2O is essential to our lives. But water it seems is not only to be found on our planet. The Mars Rover showed that water compounds are existent on Mars, and it is possible we could move planets in the future to sustain ourselves if we find water in the same quantities as on Earth. 

Salty Stone

This image was taken on Slapton Sands, Devon, a rare bar built up over time by Longshore Drift across the coast. Behind the bar is a ley, a saltwater lake with great importance due to its nature reserve which is home to many rare birds and insects.

Fluffy Summer

The fluffy white clouds pictured here are idyllic of a summer's day. It reminds me of how when you're living summer to the full, you never want it to end. Living in a constant dreamlike state similar to the swirling clouds in the image. 

Into the Unknown

This image was taken in France, in the Dordogne just Southeast of the city of Bordeaux. The départment Dordogne has a rich tourist industry, with over 1, 500 castles, holidays on the river, and is home to the famous Lascaux caves, which are closed to the public, but have had a replica set up in the region. There are also important Roman ruins, including an arena which is still visible in a public park.

Up the Swash

This picture shows the swashing of the sea onto the beach. There are two processes involved with this, swash and backwash. Swash is the process of water travelling up the sand or pebbles, and backwash is the return process. With this, sediment can be dropped off or picked up and carried away down the shoreline.

Debris by Force

These wild rapids move sediment, twigs and rocks downstream with fluid motion. Rapids occur where the gradient of the riverbed is steep, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. It is an interesting hydrological feature between a run (flat section) and a cascade (vertigal section) of a river. 

Sunset Silhouette

The gradient from blue to pink  to orange in this photograph give a stark contrast to the black trees in the foreground of this Sussex, England view. 'Indigo Twilight' explains why sunset skies can turn purple!

Frosted Hills

The clear snowy landscape here shows a typical BC mountain. The Douglas-Fir trees to the right are native to western North America, otherwise known as the Oregon Pine or Douglas Spruce. Archibald Menzies first documented the tree on Vancouver Island where it is commonly known as Doug-Fir.

Bright Purity

This image was taken in Cannes in 2010 looking out onto the Cote D'Azure. Cannes is a located in the French Riviera,  is a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It has a Mediterranean climate as shown by the clear blue sea and tall vibrant palm trees. 

White Wash

The water in this image is a small stream, the beginning of a river which gets bigger and bigger as it goes out to the estuary. Over time the minerals and sediment in the water will wear down these rocks and the white water will slow, eventually leading to a simple trickle deeper into the riverbed. This form of erosion is called Hydraulic Erosion. 

Lilac Dreams

This stunning image was taken in Sydney, Australia,in 2005. The amazing colors of the sky during sunset reflect onto the calm water and create a relaxing atmosphere. Imagine standing watching this scene this Valentine's day, and let romance take over!

Mid Winter Romance

This cute little cabin is a perfect romantic retreat this Valentine's day. A luxurious wooden hut is traditional of a quiet getaway for two, especially in skiing regions. The soft exterior lights represent a sense of ease, quiet and warmth. Happy Valentine's Day!

Pale Mystery

This beautiful flower shows the larger area of the minuscule cluster shown in 'Alien Focus'. The pastel purple of the five petal roses contrasts neatly with the dark green leaves of its bush. 

Green Majesty

This photo shows a small green plant which reminds me of a vibrant green firework with its shape and distance from the main body of the bush. Unfortunately I haven't a clue the type of plant it is, but all I know is that it grows in my garden in the summer time.

Broken Beauty

These gorgeous pink roses in the photograph are nearly at the end of their blooming season, which is why they are frayed and broken around the edges. However, rather than appearing ugly, I believe that it makes the roses look stunning, a little wilted and down-turned, but they still make me hopeful for next year when the buds will rise anew. 

Smoke Behind Lines

This picture was taken in Berkshire, England at sunset. In the lower left corner you can see the glowing orb that is the setting sun, and to the right of the picture you can see the shadowy purple clouds moving in to envelop the landscape in night. In an earlier post, Indigo Twilight, I discussed how purple clouds come about. 

Single File

This image was taken from the beach in Vancouver, BC Canada. The barges out in the bay are loggers, collecting the logs as they drift up from the river. You can see as you cross the bridges in Vancouver city, the hundreds of enormous logs, the length of grown trees, floating down the river in bunches. 

Path of Light

This photo shows a small street of ski chalets in Canada at night-time. The orange color of the lights reflects onto the snow and creates this romantic and scenic ambiance. This particular group of houses is set right on the mountain, with a ski in ski out entrance to the slopes, which makes it the ideal vacation spot. 

To Heights

This photo shows a forest of entirely skinny trees. These types of forests occur after a period of deforestation for wood fuel. New trees are planted in large quantities and they all grow at a similar speed. The reason then that all of these trees are so skinny is because they're all very young. 

Content Protection

This cute image shows an Australian Koala and her joey, taken in 2005 in Port Douglas, Australia. Koalas are marsupials found in coastal regions of Oceania. Koalas, like Kangaroos, develop their joey in a pouch until 6 months old, at which time they venture out into the world, but stay close to their mother, usually riding on her back. 

Heart of the Country

This image shows a traditional English Meadow. There are two types in East Sussex, hay meadows which are popular nesting grounds for birds and field mice, and wild flower meadows which are rare in England and are usually managed grasslands, supporting rare plants, butterflies and other insects. 

Constant Pollution

This photo was taken on the journey from Toronto to Niagara Falls. The industrial region on the coast here is a major source of atmospheric pollutants, mostly due to the large concentration of people and economic activity in the Toronto-Niagara Region (TNR), which is the largest in Canada. 

Tropical Calm

The water in this image is aquamarine green blue. This is because, despite water being colorless, large bodies of water like this ocean manifest water's inherent blue tinge from the depth of the water. The ocean here is relatively shallow, so the pale aquamarine color. The hue of the sky also adds to the perceived color of the sea.

Niagara Mist

The waterfall in this photograph is the world famous Niagara Falls. The Canadian Horseshoe Falls shown here from the Canadian bank drops an average of 188 ft into the Lower Niagara River. It has formed a horseshoe from constant erosion, and shockingly has moved back seven miles in 12, 000 years. It is thought of as the fastest moving falls in the world. 

Across the Reflection

This pond is on the battlefield of 1066, between the invading Normans and the settled Saxons. This is situated in East Sussex, where pond life is important for the area. The county has an important network of natural rivers, but their wildlife is impacted by intensive agriculture on nearby farmland. 

Lose Focus

This colourful image represents a beautiful cycle in nature, that of pollination. The brown pattern along the petals of this flower serve as a pathway, enticing insects such as bees and butterflies towards the nectar in the base of the flower, and the pollen on the anthers brush onto their legs before they travel to the next flower. 

Call of Color

The contrasting plant in the photo is a Craspedia Billy Balls Yellow Plant. They feature long green stems and a cluster of sphere shaped heads. the whole item is one flower. The Craspedia is a genus of Daisies, commonly known as Billy Buttons, or Woolyheads. They can be found in a wide range of areas, such as coastal, seen here, to alpine and are generally plants of open areas. 

Wild Beginnings

This image was taken in the sea to sky district of British Columbia. A few of the key industries in the district include tourism, logging, ranching, farming and a deep-sea port. It also offers a wide variety of opportunities for recreational activities such as rock climbing Squamish Rock, skiing in the local resorts, or zip-wiring in the forests. 

Light of the Marsh

This stunning image was taken in Rye Harbor Nature Reserve, on the Southeastern coast of England. The large area of land is a mosaic of habitats beside the sea, with shingle, sand, rivers, grazing marsh and reedbeds. This photo was taken from inside one of the five hidden bird watching huts on the reserve.

Rapid Change

This scenic picture was taken on the river in Shannon Falls Provincial Park, whose waterfall is shown in Cascading Serenity. The park holds significant spiritual value to the Squamish First Nation, the first people to live in the area. 

Quaint and Curious

The Grey Jay is a small bird native to mountain tree regions. They tend to be very friendly to humans, especially since they depend on novel food sources. Such familiarity has resulted in a number of different nicknames, lumberjack, meat-bird, camp robber, moose-bird, venison-hawk, gorby, and, as I call these bold birds, the Whiskey Jack.

Against the Sky

This picture was taken from an airplane high above the Southern coast of Greenland. The airplane was at 40,000 ft flying over from LHR airport, London to TPI airport, Toronto. Normally this plane route flies over the North Atlantic, but sometimes diverts further North to avoid storms or strong currents in the planned route.

Reaping Benefits

This image was taken shortly before harvest season in Southern England. The British landscape is beautiful in its simplicity, and scenic farming areas such as this are common in the South. 

Rabbit Trail

This vivid image shows a small trail in the woods of England, surrounded by bracken. According to evolution, bracken is considered to be one of the most successful ferns. It is also one of the oldest, with fossil records of over 55 million years having been found. 

The Beaten Track

This is a typical British Woodland in the South. In the 14, 15 and 16th centuries, hundreds of thousands of acres of woodland were destroyed to build ships and Tudor-style houses. Over time, the woodland has begun to regrow, but with overpopulation in the South, it is difficult to find large areas of woodland like this one. 

Alien Focus

This intriguing image explores the extreme within a flower cluster. These tiny buds and open flowers are incredibly small and the blue powder on the stamen is pollen. I particularly enjoy this photo because of the peculiarities associated with it. It looks extraterrestrial to me, even though you only have to look carefully to see it in our world every day. 

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

It was written in the Book of Exodus that 'By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire'. Now, I'm not Christian, but that image reminded me so much of the quote. It was created on Midsummer's night 2011 in Southeast England as an alto-stratus cloud which reflected the sun's light to look like a burning cloud.