♋♋Otherwordly Places....Socotra Island☱ ☲ ☳ ☴ ☵ ☶ ☷

This island simply blows away any notion about what is considered "normal" for a landscape on Earth.

(images credit: Jan Vandorpe, socotra)

(images credit: dianadrz, Irina Travina)


(image credit: socotra)

The climate is harsh, hot and dry, and yet - the most amazing plant life thrives there. Situated in the Indian Ocean 250 km from Somalia and 340 km from Yemen, the wide sandy beaches rise to limestone plateaus full of caves (some 7 kilometers in length) and mountains up to 1525 meters high.


(image credit: Marco Pavan)

The branches spread out into the sky and from below appear to hover over the landscape like so many flying saucers... and from above they have a distinct mushroom look:


(image credit: Jan Vandorpe)


(image credit: dianadrz)

There is also the Desert Rose (adenium obesium) which looks like nothing so much as a blooming elephant leg:


(images credit: Jan Vandorpe)


(image credit: Denis Romanov)

Dorstenia gigas - apparently does not require any soil and sinks roots straight into the bare rock:




(images credit: Jan Vandorpe)

It also has a distinct personality and likes to smile for the camera:


(image credit: Tomas van Houtryve)

Somewhat similar to the weird Dorstenia gigas, is this "bucha" vegetable, found as far north as Croatia. I hope it's not pregnant with anything malignant inside this sack. John Wyndham (with his "The Day of the Triffids") would've loved it:


(image credit: Damir)

Also found in Socotra's landscape is the ever-strange and extremely rare Cucumber Tree (dendrosicyos socotranum) - and yes, it's related to what's sitting in a pickle jar in your fridge:


(image credit: Jan Vandorpe)