Living in the tropical rainforest, is not just about colorful toucans and spectacular orchids…
It reminds us a lot about Darwin, and survival of the fittest….
Trekking around Iguassu’s majestic rainforests, the casual observer, can easily spot evidence of the struggle of plants for space to grow, sunlight to gather and sourcing of water and nutrients to thrive on… One can see lianas ( woody vines) leaning, hanging, and climbing desperately on trees, reaching towards the forest canopy in search of full sunlight. Epiphytes (plants which use others as support, without actually being parasites) of genera usually found far apart, such as gorgeous orchids, spiky cacti, friendly philodendrons and fragile ferns, here can be found side by side, elbowing each other for sunlight and waterfall spray on dry branches over the Iguazu river. Strangling fig tree saplings sprout as innocent ‘babies’ high up on other trees, only to eventually emerge as menacing adolescents once their roots touch ground base, whence they totally embrace their static hosts to finally uproot them and lift them off towards the heavens. If that were not enough, exotic invasive plant species to the park which have been successful in this global battle, are being condemned by attentive park biologists, who identify them and remove their barks so as to cause their death by sap depletion over time. During this process, local saprophytic species thrive on this dead wood and feed a host of insects important to the rainforest biodiversity and health. All considered, the forest is quite a busy thriving and many times aggressive environment...
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| Bromeliads growing on a tree at Iguassu |
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| One of the smaller waterfalls |
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| Ferns thriving in the shadows |
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| Lianas, with a twist... |
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| Out of my way! - Orchids, cacti and ferns battle for position |
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| Revertere ad locum tuum |
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| Ghostly white saprophytes in action |
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| The not so friendly embrace of a wild fig tree |
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