Santa Cruz Island
Was this picture really taken in the Galapagos? Aren’t those islands dry landmasses in the middle of the Pacific? Isn’t it now the beginning of the cool-dry season in the archipelago? Well, it does not seem possible to find such a forest in the Galapagos Islands, but actually the highlands of Santa Cruz are always lush and green. This is the Scalesia forest. Scalesia is the plant equivalent of Darwin’s finches and a great example of evolution. Scalesia pendunculata looks like giant broccoli. These trees are covered with many epiphytes, and there are hundreds of ferns in the shade of the forest which gives it the appearance of an enchanted wood.
To get to the Scalesia woodland we passed other vegetation zones. On Santa Cruz, there is a definite increase in precipitation with the increase in altitude. The highlands intercept the moisture laden clouds. Therefore, at altitudes over 1200 feet above sea level, the plants are green all year round.
Among the greenery we saw a few red spots; the colorful vermilion flycatchers. In addition, we were very lucky to find several woodpecker finches, tree finches and warbler finches. It was definitely a good plant and bird day, and of course, a giant tortoise day besides!
Was this picture really taken in the Galapagos? Aren’t those islands dry landmasses in the middle of the Pacific? Isn’t it now the beginning of the cool-dry season in the archipelago? Well, it does not seem possible to find such a forest in the Galapagos Islands, but actually the highlands of Santa Cruz are always lush and green. This is the Scalesia forest. Scalesia is the plant equivalent of Darwin’s finches and a great example of evolution. Scalesia pendunculata looks like giant broccoli. These trees are covered with many epiphytes, and there are hundreds of ferns in the shade of the forest which gives it the appearance of an enchanted wood.
To get to the Scalesia woodland we passed other vegetation zones. On Santa Cruz, there is a definite increase in precipitation with the increase in altitude. The highlands intercept the moisture laden clouds. Therefore, at altitudes over 1200 feet above sea level, the plants are green all year round.
Among the greenery we saw a few red spots; the colorful vermilion flycatchers. In addition, we were very lucky to find several woodpecker finches, tree finches and warbler finches. It was definitely a good plant and bird day, and of course, a giant tortoise day besides!
