I Speak For The Trees

To finish off a month of cacti, here is Ecuador’s Dry Forest biome.  This photo was taken in the valley of Vilcabamba, which has become Dry Forest through centuries of human intervention.  The biome is characterized by low to no rainfall, sandy soils, high winds, and for the most part low-growing vegetation.  It occurs naturally in the province of El Oro, and in the high steppes of Pichincha in the city of Quito and around the towns of Pomasqui, Mitad del Mundo, Malchingui, and Calacali, continuing northward into the Imbabura Province.  In many cases, it is the last biome before the Paramo.  In almost all cases, it has been cleared of its native trees in order to accomodate agriculture.  The Dry Forest biome normally occurs on the slopes of the Andes or in Interadean valleys.

In Vilcabamba, as well as in parts of Pichincha, efforts have been made to stop erosion by planting non-native Eucalyptus trees; towns close to extensive Eucalypt reforestation projects are sometimes covered in a blueish haze that is produced by the oils of their leaves.  In addition, many Ecuadorians are allergic to Eucalyptus pollen.

The natural vegetation of this biome is scrub grass, pampas grass, Acacia, Huilco, Agave, Tuna, and other succulent or dry-adapted plants.  Since these valleys have been cultivated and colonized since at least Incan times, if not further back, there are also a wide range of introduced crops.  Coffee grows particularly well in the lower altitude dry forests, while higher-altitude ones are often planted in Potato.  Areas of dry forest that have been cleared or partially cleared are often used as pasture for beef cows.  Dry forest steppes on the Cotopaxi plains are now home to massive plantation of Pine trees for use in sustainable forestry.  Farming in the dry forest requires heavy irrigation in order to support the introduced plants.

The fauna of these areas is variable, depending largely on the biomes that abut the dry forests; in all regions, there are crested sparrows.  In the South, a bird locally called a Kiki, and known to science as an Hornero, is very common.  Blackbirds and cowbirds are also present.  Lower altitude dry forests, especially those rich in Acacia, are home to an endangered miniature deer called a Brocket.  The dry forests around Quito have a number of species of high-altitude hummingbirds.  All situations of the biome are extremely rich in insect life, especially spiders.  Finally, there are some interesting rodents and marsupials.  The former, known to most of the world as a Guinea Pig, and to Ecuador and Peru as a Cuy, is nearly extinct in the wild but cultivated widely for its meat.  The latter, a type of opossum called a Huanchaca, is a common garden pest and occasionally sold in restaurants in the South.