Espiritu Santo-Partida Island, and Los Islotes
During the last summer season hurricanes reached the northwest of Mexico, and the Gulf of California received a good amount of rain. As a result, many islands and places on the peninsula show unusual and perhaps long time unseen, lush patches of vegetation at this time. Thousands of seeds of hundreds of plants species, maybe dormant for many years, recently germinated and are covering arroyos and hills. Drought-resistant plants, like the cardon and galloping cacti, jumping chollas and prickly pears, are showing deep brilliant green hues in their healthy-looking thorny stems. Agaves have grown their tall stalks. Coral vines and wild cucumbers have climbed over other plants. Purple, pink, orange and white flowers from rama pardas, morning glories, desert mallows, malva rosas and margaritas (daisies) extend, like expressionist carpets, over the hard volcanic or granitic soils. Butterflies of all kinds, as well as dragonflies and wasps, literally fill the air with their bodies and their buzzing.
That was the scene on Espiritu Santo-Partida Island, where hikes of different lengths and degrees of difficulty were performed this morning. The long, dynamic, high-energy hikers conquered the inland top of an impressive, beautiful, well vegetated arroyo, where magnificent views of both sides of the island and the vastness of the Vermilion Sea (the Spaniard nickname for the Gulf of California) were the reward. All of us also observed the splendor of rock formations, with layers and layers of ash and volcanic tuff strongly welded and eroded. Over these rocks and boulders, many individuals of the endemic antelope ground squirrel were either playing or fighting or looking for food. Side-blotched and small-scaled lizards were sunbathing. And a chuckwalla, a green iguana-allied lizard, was seen with half of the body outside of its safe crevice. After all this, we navigated northwards to reach Los Islotes, a nearby small volcanic rookery for afternoon activities, like a refreshing snorkeling session among the California sea lions. Zodiac cruises were also organized to observe the variety of sea birds that roost at the islet. Blue-footed boobies were seen mating, and a fantastic performance of a couple of peregrine falcons in a killing was also eye-witnessed. The pretty town of La Paz was our evening destination.
During the last summer season hurricanes reached the northwest of Mexico, and the Gulf of California received a good amount of rain. As a result, many islands and places on the peninsula show unusual and perhaps long time unseen, lush patches of vegetation at this time. Thousands of seeds of hundreds of plants species, maybe dormant for many years, recently germinated and are covering arroyos and hills. Drought-resistant plants, like the cardon and galloping cacti, jumping chollas and prickly pears, are showing deep brilliant green hues in their healthy-looking thorny stems. Agaves have grown their tall stalks. Coral vines and wild cucumbers have climbed over other plants. Purple, pink, orange and white flowers from rama pardas, morning glories, desert mallows, malva rosas and margaritas (daisies) extend, like expressionist carpets, over the hard volcanic or granitic soils. Butterflies of all kinds, as well as dragonflies and wasps, literally fill the air with their bodies and their buzzing.
That was the scene on Espiritu Santo-Partida Island, where hikes of different lengths and degrees of difficulty were performed this morning. The long, dynamic, high-energy hikers conquered the inland top of an impressive, beautiful, well vegetated arroyo, where magnificent views of both sides of the island and the vastness of the Vermilion Sea (the Spaniard nickname for the Gulf of California) were the reward. All of us also observed the splendor of rock formations, with layers and layers of ash and volcanic tuff strongly welded and eroded. Over these rocks and boulders, many individuals of the endemic antelope ground squirrel were either playing or fighting or looking for food. Side-blotched and small-scaled lizards were sunbathing. And a chuckwalla, a green iguana-allied lizard, was seen with half of the body outside of its safe crevice. After all this, we navigated northwards to reach Los Islotes, a nearby small volcanic rookery for afternoon activities, like a refreshing snorkeling session among the California sea lions. Zodiac cruises were also organized to observe the variety of sea birds that roost at the islet. Blue-footed boobies were seen mating, and a fantastic performance of a couple of peregrine falcons in a killing was also eye-witnessed. The pretty town of La Paz was our evening destination.
