The spiny forest, in Madagascar’s south, is known for its plants that have found a way to thrive by growing defenses: thorns, prickles, thick skin. But in March/April 2025, the waters were drying up, and I focused my lens on the ethereal flowers and new leaves that appeared to make the most of their brief season.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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My tortoise travels took me on an extraordinary monthlong adventure on Aldabra atoll, one of the most remote and ecologically intact places on Earth. It’s home to the last surviving species of giant tortoises in the western Indian Ocean.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Four months after the fire, the blackened fynbos was regenerating in the way it has for millennia. I was genuinely surprised to see so many flowers in bloom, especially considering this was a good six weeks after it normally would begin drying out for summer.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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The world’s most well-known living tortoise, Jonathan, is also one of the world’s most remote — living on a volcanic island a thousand miles off the coast of Africa.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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The spring of 2022 was a dry one, and in the middle of an extended drought. But life still prevails. Seeds must be produced. These little flowers gave it everything they had to complete their lifecycle before another summer set in.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Aldabra atoll is many things: It’s the second largest atoll in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and home to many endemic plants and animals including more than 100,000 giant tortoises. Two biologists share their experiences.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Natural History, Writing & Books
“What other bodily being possesses such a citadel wherein to resist the assaults of Time?” That’s Herman Melville talking about tortoises. In 10 vignettes he paints a portrait of the Galapagos Islands, and the tortoise is a recurring character.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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When you set foot in the Hall of African Mammals at the American Museum of Natural History for the first time, it’s startling to see the elephant’s foot… at eye level.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Lonesome George’s time on earth ended before I ever got to meet him.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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If you believe that the American Museum of Natural History’s interest in animals begins with fossils and ends with taxidermy, prepare to be surprised!
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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