While I was in Costa Rica I had the opportunity to go hiking through a cloud forest. Unlike the typical rainforest that you learn about in school where it rains all the time, the cloud forest has constant fog and mist that provides the needed water to the vegetation. Trees in a cloud forest are shorter and have more limbs than in a lower tropical rainforest and produce fewer types of flora.
Cloud forests can be found at altitudes from 500 to 4000m and make up 1% of the global woodland. Since I was visiting Costa Rica in August which is part of the rainy season, the air was saturated with moisture. The average rainfall in Costa Rica during August is around 10 1/2 inches with max rainfall in the month of October with 13 inches. Due to the high moisture in the ground and minimum sunlight coming through the trees, the soil is very acidic making it prime for different types of trees and plants.
Here are some different pictures that I took during the hike. I don't know too much about trees so if you happen to know what some of them are please feel free to comment.
 |
| A natural spring that I drank from; it is supposed to add 30 minutes to your life. |
 |
| Vine with small red flowers |
 |
Monkey Tail Plant,
not to be confused with the monkey tail tree of New Zealand |
 |
| Bridge over the river |
Have you ever been to a cloud forest or a rainforest before? What sort of plants and flowers did you see there?
No comments:
Post a Comment