Plants and Fungi
Some fungi are drab, some are charismatic. This was perhaps the brightest, biggest growth that I saw.
Vines are everywhere, tangling and strangling.
Up the side of a massive tree.
A greener part of the forest floor.
The humidity is unbelievable - you sweat in buckets.
Plants using the nutrients of a fallen log.
It's a competition for light, and plants have many strategies for obtaining it. The forms are diverse.
A downed tree.
Fungi seem to grow everywhere.
It's very difficult to bring a deep image completely into focus in low light. Some photos required about 20 seconds of exposure.
Plant defenses are varied and abundant.
It's not unusual to get snagged while trekking through the forest. Shirts, pants, and socks all fall victim to tears.
Well-lit spots provide great opportunities for photos. Not only do they illuminate plants, they also reveal spiderwebs.
It's impossible to photograph fungi without noticing their tendency to grow in city-looking groups.
A jumping spider (top, near left) chased and captured gnats that were attracted to this white fungus.
Most of the plants have chew marks on them - some more pronounced than others.
Plants and Fungi
The abundance of plants and verdancy in the rain forest makes for interesting relationships between plants and fungi. This gallery gives a sampling of the plants and fungi of the forest. Back to Peru 2011 home page.
