23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Bottle Tree Nights

The bottle tree is endemic in Socotra, Yemen. It grows in a rocky arid landscape and stores water in its trunk and has the strangest shapes! Socotra has an abundance of unique plants that can only be found on the island due to a short rainy season and very long dry season and its location in the Indian Ocean between Africa and the Middle East. The nights in Socotra were super dark with the milky way very clear.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Socotra, Yemen
Camera: Canon EOS R5m2
Copyright: © Greg Metro