Isla Santa Cruz and Isla Bartolomé
Isla Santa Cruz’s far north side is another world from Puerto Ayora. No signs of permanent habitation. From the Islander we glassed a landscape of giant Opuntia cacti and leafless Palo Santo trees amidst jet black pahoehoe basalt lava flows. We took a long and slow Zodiac ride back to shore, taken off course by a sighting of green sea turtle mating. Flipper waving, immersed and emergent cycles. Several of our Zodiacs watched from 30 meters away.
Upon landing we walked the 2 km Cerro Dragon trail. Leaving the windy littoral shore of carpetweed and entering the arid zone community of acacia, giant Opuntia cacti, leather leaf, bitter bush, Galápagos cotton, greenthorn. This thornscrub ecosystem sang and hummed with life. Large, medium and small ground finches berry-feeding. Mocking birds racket-making. An arid composition comprising so many desert adaptations! Spines, thorns and prickles. Waxy leaves. Drought deciduous leaves. Finch nests amidst tall Opuntia cacti pads. Fire colored and spine crested giant land Iguana males sat motionless amidst nest holes amongst the intensely spined Opuntia.
Sailing by Daphne Island we heard a wonderful expedition leader talk on the Grant’s evolutionary Finch research.
Then…Bartolome snorkeling. Giant mixed schools of yellow-tail surgeon fish, king angelfish and salemas. Bumphead parrotfish, Cortez wrasse, Mexican hogfish, Whitetail gregories, damselfish, barberfish, white-tipped reef shark.
The day’s climax was a twilight walk up the Bartolome hill. A vast, primeval volcanic coastal landscape comprising lava fountains, cinder cones, tephra cones in a double line stretching to the horizon; swallowed by a younger and jet black lava sea. Lava levees, collapsed mini-lava tubes, and fountains flash-frozen to multiply-hued glass.
Isla Santa Cruz’s far north side is another world from Puerto Ayora. No signs of permanent habitation. From the Islander we glassed a landscape of giant Opuntia cacti and leafless Palo Santo trees amidst jet black pahoehoe basalt lava flows. We took a long and slow Zodiac ride back to shore, taken off course by a sighting of green sea turtle mating. Flipper waving, immersed and emergent cycles. Several of our Zodiacs watched from 30 meters away.
Upon landing we walked the 2 km Cerro Dragon trail. Leaving the windy littoral shore of carpetweed and entering the arid zone community of acacia, giant Opuntia cacti, leather leaf, bitter bush, Galápagos cotton, greenthorn. This thornscrub ecosystem sang and hummed with life. Large, medium and small ground finches berry-feeding. Mocking birds racket-making. An arid composition comprising so many desert adaptations! Spines, thorns and prickles. Waxy leaves. Drought deciduous leaves. Finch nests amidst tall Opuntia cacti pads. Fire colored and spine crested giant land Iguana males sat motionless amidst nest holes amongst the intensely spined Opuntia.
Sailing by Daphne Island we heard a wonderful expedition leader talk on the Grant’s evolutionary Finch research.
Then…Bartolome snorkeling. Giant mixed schools of yellow-tail surgeon fish, king angelfish and salemas. Bumphead parrotfish, Cortez wrasse, Mexican hogfish, Whitetail gregories, damselfish, barberfish, white-tipped reef shark.
The day’s climax was a twilight walk up the Bartolome hill. A vast, primeval volcanic coastal landscape comprising lava fountains, cinder cones, tephra cones in a double line stretching to the horizon; swallowed by a younger and jet black lava sea. Lava levees, collapsed mini-lava tubes, and fountains flash-frozen to multiply-hued glass.
