Greg Shchepanek

 The old Wise Ones of the Desert Mojave Desert Tortoise  ( Gopherus agassizii ) Kelso Sand Dunes • Mojave National Preserve, California, United States. Listed as vulnerable: Conservation Status: imperiled (S2) in California, US (NatureServe). It was an absolute dream to come across this old guy in the Mojave Desert. It was totally " Why did the turtle cross the road ... " & he sure took his time in doing so. But this magnificent creature of the desert was sheer joy to photograph & he kept his gaze upon me as he slowly moved along. It was truly an experience of a lifetime. I have always been so fortunate & lucky with my encounters with wildlife & this guy was surely to make a top position in my adventures in the great outdoors. Who ever thought I would come across one of these rare & precious reptiles while wondering the hot desert ? This all happened while I was on a trip with my father to the American Desert way back in April of 20...

 I Simply just Love the American Desert  What a most cool place, Joshua Tree National Park , just East of Los Angeles I had such a great time exploring the desert & hills of the Mojave Desert . Not too many animals to discover but lots of Flora abound from cool cacti to delicate colourful desert flowers . I had great fun climbing & discovering the rocky hills of this park & it was there I found the most interesting things. Desert Canterbury Bells ( Phacelia campanularia ) Joshua Tree National Park , California, United States of America. Conservation Status: vulnerable (G3?) (NatureServe) Vulnerable . Endemic to southern California in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts at elevations less than 1600 m. (Baldwin et al. 2002). Western Side-blotched Lizard ( Uta stansburiana ssp. elegans ) Joshua Tree National Park , California, United States of America. Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus ( Echinocereus engelmannii ) Joshua Tree National Park , California, United Stat...

 California Dreaming ... so Wish I was There ! Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard ( Uma scoparia ) Kelso Sand Dunes • Mojave National Preserve, California, United States. Endemic in Mojave Desert , US: native and occurs nowhere else. I had the best of times chasing & photographing this amazing little guy as he skittered over the hot desert sands of the Kelso Dunes . I was in heaven & I realised the the American Desert is my second most favourite Ecosystem in the World . It comes in just behind Canada's Arctic which will forever be my most favourite place on earth . OMG! I am so very in love with the Mojave Desert & I so wished I had spent more time there. Mojave Desert Tortoise ( Gopherus agassizii ) Kelso Sand Dunes • Mojave National Preserve, California, United States. Listed as vulnerable: www.iucnredlist.org/details/9400/0  . Conservation Status: imperiled (S2) in California, US (NatureServe) Beavertail Cactus  ( Opuntia basilaris ) Mojave National Preser...

 The War of the Worlds This was the very first  H. G. Wells novel I read as a kid and it was impart to the 1953 movie that I saw at a young age. Talking about great Science Fiction , imagination & creativity there is no other famed write/artist like HGW (but Philip K. Dick comes a very close).  The War of the Worlds  (also known in promotional material as  H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds ) is a 1953 American  Science Fiction Film  from Paramount Pictures, produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. The film is an adaptation of the 1898 novel of the same name by  H. G. Wells , the first of five feature film adaptations. It is a retelling of the 1898 novel , changing the setting from Victorian era-England to 1953 southern  California . Earth is suddenly and unexpectedly invaded by  Martians , and American scientist...