We returned
to the Pan de Azucar National Park and drove to the furthest point north - Las
Lomitas (S085). This time the
fog was out and we could enjoy the marvellous views. There are some cabins and
fog nets and in summer, this must be a popular place to visit, evidenced by the
three foxes that were tame enough to snatch some cream crackers from Leo and
Attila. They scoffed them greedily only to discover their mistake when it came
to needing a drink to wash them down - not in a desert!
Our next
stop (S086) was home to a
heavy spined form of Copiapoa cinerea subsp. columna-alba, plants
that Ritter described as C. melanohystrix.
At our next
stop (S087), we were
surprised to find Opuntia tunicata, a North American Cylindropuntia
that has escaped into the wild and is regarded to be a separate subspecies:
chilensis.
We followed a
track that ran along the edge of the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean,
stopping (S088) when we saw
some typical Copiapoa flowers, emerging from the gravel. We took pictures
of the plant after we had brushed away the dust and gravel - was this C.
hypogaea? We thought so at the time, but having seen more readily
recognisable plants in 2003, I'm not so sure.
We were
looking for C. laui - not easy to find plants the size of matchstick
heads! As there were 5 cars, we decided the stop 1 km apart from each other and
cover the distance to the next car, along one side of the track and then repeat
the search on the walk back, along the other side of the track. Not an
easy task but as Michelle, Attila and I were about half way to the next car -
there was a yellow flower, growing out of the gravel! C. laui. (S089).
The last stop
of the day was at the Park's Ranger Station, where a small garden (The
Cactarium) was home to some of the Cactaceae reported from the Park.(S090).
