it rained off and on during our hike to the waterfalls in El Yunque forest today, which is what is supposed to happen in a rainforest. But nothing illustrates the congested overgrowth of life on top of life in the tropics better than this.
Liana vines creep up the trunks of the trees, embedding lateral roots right into the tree bark so tightly, they look like a part of it. Circular-shelled snails graze on the algae growing on the lianas. A few lichens find a roost on the tree bark as well. Higher up the trunk, large “air plants” roost on tree branches, catching moisture in the rain, and nutrients floating in the humid air. Sometimes there is such an overgrowth of the vines, bromeliads, ferns, etc. that their weight breaks the branch.
The light can hardly make it to the forest floor because there is such a density and diversity of plant material above it. And naturally, rainforests have a lot of running water everywhere.
There are a few bare rocks, but not much bare earth that isn’t colonized by plants.
Cascades of water flowing into larger waterfalls, eventually merge into the highest waterfall in the park at La Mina falls.
Traveling Two 