Sat. Mar. 22 - Part 1 ... The search for orchids

Rob and Sue had an opportunity to go to the jungle a few miles outside of Bucerias today to look for orchids and water with Francisco, the owner of the hotel with the treehouse where they are staying.   Francisco also invited Ricardo, a local Mexican contractor, Pepi, a soccer buddy of Francisco, who also develops properties, and Armando, who carries a very large machete.

 

The road off the main highway into the 18 hectares of pristine jungle called "Green Mountain", was very treacherous.  If Francisco wants to turn his jungle property into a orchid nature reserve, he will first have to build a decent road.  We passed large paper trees, and very large kapok trees covered in strangler fig vines.

 There were cattle and even a cowboy or two, protecting the lime orchards and coffee plantations from all the banditos.

We stopped a few times to direct the SUV over large potholes and boulders.  Finally, Francisco and Armando spotted beautiful epiphytes and collected a bundle for the hotel.

Imagine standing in a jungle and looking up at an orchid that is clinging to a tree. Its roots have grasped the tree bark and are using the tree for support.  It isn’t growing in dirt like most plants.  The orchid gets no nutrients from the tree itself.  It is not a parasite.  It gets only support and a bit of food from the organic matter decaying in the crooks of branches or from animal droppings that wash down the tree in the rain. It is humid in the jungle and these orchid roots have adapted to absorb water from the humid air, hence the term "epiphyte". Many orchids have to deal with times of abundant water and times of dryness and so they have thick stems called "pseudobulbs" that allow them to store and hold water for the dry periods to come.  Mexico is running out of water!

Note:  Read about the search for water in part 2.