20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Dragon Blood Tree on Socotra

Dragon Blood Tree (Dracaena cinnabari) with its unusual, umbrella-like appearance is endemic to the island of Socotra. They can live up to a thousand years and are believed to have medicinal properties. In the fall of 2015 two cyclones ravaged over Socotra within a week and destroyed a lot of the trees. Another cyclone hit in 2018 while Socotra was still recovering. Socotra is slowly drying out, with once reliable monsoon weather becoming more and more irregular. With climate change such weather paterns will become more and more frequent. So, the future of this beautiful ancient tree is for sure uncertain.

Photo Detail
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Hadibo, Yemen
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Copyright: © Matjaz Krivic