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Mazamitla is in the Sierra del Tigre Mountains, where mountain lions roam the cool forests and orchids, bromeliads, and
insectivorous piguiculas abound.
On very clear days you can see all the way to the Paracutin volcano in Michoacan from this spot. A perfect place
to orchid hunt!
They are standing under a beautiful plant in the banana family. Log bridges add an alpine air.
Dan in front of one of the gorgeous cabins in the area.
Another beautiful house. We live in grasslands, so it is a real treat to see water and humidity-loving plants.
But I find the first epiphytic (growing on a tree) orchid, an Encyclia. This one has small green flowers,
like flying mosquitos, and is one of our favorites.
Mixed pines and oaks. Some days Mazamitla smells like Pine-Sol! Contrary to popular opinion, many more
orchids grow in cool, misty climates than in hot, jungley ones.
Another genus. You'd have to go back once a month to catch all the different orchids in bloom and identify them.
"Yes, Daddy, yes. Please tell me ONCE AGAIN how it isn't a parasite. You don't have any canned peaches I
can chew on, do you?"
Blackberries! We've picked them from the Adirondacks to the Mountain Lion Mountains of southern Jalisco!
Taken from atop a cliff. In the middle of the photo you can see a large bromeliad in flower. It looks
like a Billbergia.
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Dirt roads wind through high oak and pine forests, often leading to incredible views.
Omar and Coco, ready to hike. Coco loves hiking as long as she's being carried.
The plant is flowering, with an inflorescence a good 2 feet across.
We're over a mile up, so we rest pretty often. We're in no hurry anyway--just enjoying the day.
In a steep gully. "I think I found a nice orchid for you!"
And here it is--a nice terrestrial, right on the rim of a cliff. Omar always spots the first orchid.
Can you find the orchid plants? There are at least three. Sometimes they are hard to pick out.
Orchids love to grow on oaks, where they hitch a ride to get lots of sun. They are not parasitic, though--they just
live on the branches.
A Pleurothalid. Omar's mother expected huge Easter corsages to be dripping from the trees when we told her
we saw orchids. Once you see them, the little ones can be real charmers as well!
We just missed this one's flowers. Another Pleurothalid.
A happy boy and his dog, ready to start a fire at the cabin, drink some ponche, and eat! I know--they look
Photoshoped in. They were real dark, so I lightened them.
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