This is a new visitor site
in the northeast part of San Cristobal island and can now
be reached in roughly one hour by road from Pto Baquerizo.
This passion flower also
known as Running Pop is native to the isles and very common growing as a
vine.
In the trees and shrubs surrounding the site,
land birds like warbler, finches and mockingbirds can be observed.
Darwin's Cotton is
endemic and found on many islands. The white lint it produces is however not
used for any commercial purposes.
Another common plant with beautiful yellow flowers is the Yellow Cordia, native to the Galapagos but also to mainland Ecuador and
Peru.
This shrub or tree can grow up to 8m in height and its valuable
wood is used in carving.
The fruits are a food source for birds and
rats and its pulp can be used for sealing as it is very sticky.
The sweet aroma of the flowers attracts carpenter bees and sulfur
butterflies. Bees however steal the nectar by making a small slit at the
base and thus not pollinating it.
On the trails Giant Tortoises can be
encountered. They live there wild but in a protected area so to assure
their survival by sealing them off from introduced predators, like pigs
and goats.
Once the tortoise perceives danger, it goes into its
defensive stance, retreating into its hard shell.
Manzanillo or poison apple tree belongs to the Spure family and as its name
suggets is poisonous. Do not eat the fruits and avoid getting into
contact with its sap.
View over the vegetation to the Pacific ocean below. On the trails you
get to know many plants common to the dry lowland and moist upland
regions.
