Out on sea the temperature is balmy, but on land it’s a different matter. Close to noon, it must have been close to 40 celsius here on the slopes down to the brine water of Darwin’s Lake – scorchingly hot, despite a partly cloudy sky.
Without frequent rain, the water will quickly evaporate and thus the different species of plants have developed a range of strategies to survive the dry season.
The palo santo (Bursera graveolens) simply drops the leaves – just like the deciduous forests of Europe. The difference being sub-zero temperatures and little daylight and hot weather and no water.
It’s interesting to see how evenly they are distributed.
Native range is Mexico to Venezuela and Peru.
Isla Isabela
-0.254573,-91.368313
Last updated on 8 November 2024
