Hi Jeff, I arrived on one of those glass-bottomed boats. The tour included reef snorkelling and bird-watching. I don't recall what the trees in the background are. Regarding the giant stick insects, the Giant Phasmids (Gallirallus sylvestris), they were only discovered on Balls Pyramid. This is one very small and steep island which is part of Lord Howe island. I drove my family insane by pretending to spot the giant phasmid. At one point I even managed to animate a tree branch by rolling the end in my palm, and I had them fooled for 5 milliseconds. Isn't that what fathers are for? Embarassing their children until they really, really want to become independent and jump out of the nest. ;-)

Nice picture Julian. Did you arrive on one of those tour boats, Julian? The background is really interesting. Do you have any idea what kinds of plants those are? Did you see any of the endangered giant stick insects on your visit? Alas, I may never see this amazing island. I checked, and roundtrip airfare from Philadelphia is 3160USD.