An important flower family are the gentians which are found in all high alpine regions of the world.

Insects play an important role as pollinators for flowers and as ax food source for other animals.

Polylepis forests provide a special habitat for some animals and are one of the highest growing trees in the world. Its papery bark gave it its local name Arbol de Papel  

Many areas are waterlogged and are the ones least disturbed by humans. They support their own distinct plants, one of which are the cushion plants.

Two of the larger mammals of the paramo are White-tailed deer and Andean Fox. Foxes are most often active at night hunting and searching for carrion.

Llamas were once the dominant animals of the high grass steppes. Their relatives the graceful vicuñas graze peacefully on sparser vegetation near Chimborazo

Waterfowl and shorebirds inhabit the paramo lakes. Ducks and Andean Lapwing
are featured here.

Three common high altitude plants are lupines (from left), a specie of club moss and Chuquiragua, a asteracea shrub, liked for its  bright colors and medicinal uses.

Two of the most interesting plants are the Puya Bromeliads and Giant Frailejones (Espelitia), both reaching heights of over 3 m.  They only grow in certain paramo regions of the country.

Small bushes grow in the more sheltered areas. To the far left a shrub of the  the Valerian family and two composites. The middle one is  locally called Pantza.

Burning is used to promote new grass shoots for cattle grazing. This practice changes the flora by depleting plants which need longer to establish themselves.

Paramo turned into agricultural fields, which reach right up to 4000m.

Potatoes are originally an Andean plant family and some species still grow well over 4000m. Other crops found that high up are onions, grains and fababeans.