Pontederia reflexa

Pontederia reflexa

These plants grow in a pond right outside the buildings of SouthWild Pantanal. I find the long leaves quite decorative and a plant worthy of any natural…


Tropical Pickerelweed (Pontederia rotundifolia)

Tropical Pickerelweed (Pontederia rotundifolia)

At first this looks like a starved water Hyacinth, and you might pass on to find one with a grand inflorescence. When you take a closer look you’ll see that…


Tropical Pickerelweed (Pontederia rotundifolia)

Tropical Pickerelweed (Pontederia rotundifolia)

At first this looks like a starved water Hyacinth, and you might pass on to find one with a grand inflorescence. When you take a closer look you'll see that…


Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

When a sea of water hyacinths are in bloom you forget for a moment that this is a weed like no other - it can block rivers for years on end! All the plants are…


Pickerel Weed (Pontederia parviflora)

Pickerel Weed (Pontederia parviflora)

On the way to SouthWild Pantanal from Porto Jofre I encountered this species of water hyacinth as I was wading out to an orchid, a fantastic specimen too, with…


Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Beautiful flowers on a plant species that in some instances can block all human activities. There are many rivers that have been totally blocked for years on…


Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

The breeding season is over, and only a few of the species remain. This couple had two juveniles practicing fishing and will likely leave this sandbank in the…


Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

The dry season is overtaken by the water, and the rivers are swelling day by day. Slowly the many sandbanks will be submerged and with them many birds relying…


Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

My only sighting of this peculiar species was along the Tuichi River, so I never saw it hunting. Its peculiar beak is used as a kind of fishing rod, and it…