I Speak For The Trees

Better Know A Biome for January is the Lower Transitional Forest.  This is the last boundary between the Andean forest types and the Amazon, and is one of the most biodiverse and orchid-rich biomes in Ecuador.  This biome occurs in a strip from about 1000 meters of altitude to about 800 meters, on the eastern slopes of the Andes.  It is partially protected by the following national parks:  Cayamba-Coca, Llanganates, Sangay, and Podocarpus, although in most cases its protection is an afterthought, and a great deal of poaching still goes on.  The Cordillera del Condor and Llanganates Bajo are part of this forest type, declared a Biodiversity Hotspot by the World Wildlife Foundation.

Lower Transitional Forest is characterised by Ahuano (tropical Mahogany), Pumamaqui, and Jacaranda, with a heavy population of Cedrella odorata (Cedro), three kinds of Canelo, Matapalo, and other valuable hardwoods.  It is the middle of the range for Sangre de Drago (Croton eleuteria), and home to a wide variety of palm trees.  The beginning of this forest type is distinguished by the appearance of Morete palms.

Typically of a diverse biome as this one, there is a healthy animal population ranging from howler monkeys through mountain tapir, ocelots, jaguar, and any number of small rodents and insects.  It is the beginning of the range of the bullet ant, and has its own species of coral snake.

The photograph shows the Rio Pastaza valley above the town of Mera, Pastaza Province.