Amazing forests on planet Earth
Amazon rainforest
About 10% of the total forest diversity is the Amazon rainforest. This forest is found in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia, being the largest rainforest on our planet. Even today, many of its sites remain inaccessible to humans. The forest canopy is so dense that twilight almost always reigns in the lower tier of the forest. One of the amazing things about this Amazon rainforest is that its vast area is covered with flooded rivers for many months.
There are many exotic plants - a variety of lianas, palms, plants of the family of laurel, mimosa, myrtle, legumes. More than 430 species of mammals live in these forests; most of them belong to the orders of bats and rodents. Here you can find capybara, jaguar, puma, sloths, Brazilian otter, giant anteater, different types of monkeys, tapirs, nosuha. In these forests there are about 1300 species of birds, various types of snakes, caimans, frogs.
Goblin Forest in New Zealand
In the Goblin Forest in New Zealand, you can see mosses and ferns on the trees. Its main part is made up of kamakha trees, which begin to grow from the trunks of other trees. The Wilkies area has a large number of natural pools that give this forest its own flavor. In such a forest, the events of a fantasy film about elves, gnomes and goblins could well take place. There are practically no berries and mushrooms in this forest, and the nearby swamp and ferns only contribute to the emergence of rumors about the spirits and ghosts living in the forest. It often rains in these places, it is foggy and, even in summer, it can be cold
Evergreen forest and sequoias in western Canada
Taiga occupies most of the space and stretches across the whole of Canada. Black and white spruce and American larch grow here. Black spruce grows in rocky and swampy areas, American larch chooses wet swampy areas.In the Province of British Columbia in western Canada, the Evergreen Forest is located on the Pacific coast. Coniferous and mixed forests are widespread here, which occupy about 60% of the area of this Canadian province.
The most valuable conifers found on the Pacific Coast are red cedar, Douglas fir and western hemlock. The humid temperate climate of the west coast is very favorable for the growth of coniferous trees, which often reach heights of 70-90 meters in this region. Also, British Columbia is famous for the fact that the giants of the forest - sequoias - still flourish there.
Sequoia is the largest tree on earth, and the most durable - according to various sources, it lives from 2000 to 6000 years: more than all the ancient, middle and new history of mankind known today. Some sequoias are centuries older than the Egyptian pyramids. In the old days, the sequoia numbered 15 species, now only two: the giant sequoia and very close to it, no less stately evergreen sequoia. Sequoias used to grow all over the earth. At present, they have survived in natural conditions only in North America.
Travelers have always enthusiastically described the sequoia, endowing it with the most flattering epithets, admiring its extraordinary size, marveling at its longevity and monumentality. Only a few meters are inferior to the largest sequoias in height to the most powerful representative of the plant world - almond-leaved eucalyptus from Australia. And the volume of the trunks resembling giant columns, and the unusual longevity of the sequoia eclipsed everyone.
Monte Verde National Park in Costa Rica
Monte Verde National Park in Costa Rica means Green Mountain in Portuguese. Huge mountains, completely covered with jungle, with low hanging clouds and regular rainfall. This park is often referred to as the Monteverde Cloud Forest. It contains a lot of interesting and attractive things.
Costa Rica is a Latin American country, whose eloquent name in many ways explains its collective national identity. Costa Rica is translated "Rich Coast", implying the richness of nature, one of the main treasures of which are tropical forests, as well as an abundance of fruits and spices. For the inhabitants of Costa Rica, rainforests are the heart of the country and they also positively influence our climate, being home to thousands of plants and animals.
The smallest inhabitants of the rainforest tend to be the noisiest. For example cicadas. Although they are very difficult to see in the dense foliage of the forest canopy, their monotonous chirping is one of the most typical sounds of the jungle.Forests occupy a quarter of the land area on our planet. Due to the fact that forests are located in a wide variety of climatic conditions, they are diverse. There are many types of them, for example, coniferous, deciduous forests, jungles, taiga, and swamp forests.
Monte Verde is home to over 100 species of mammals, 500 species of birds, 120 amphibians and reptiles. In this reserve you can see muskrats, bats, primates, rabbits, gophers, squirrels, mice, porcupine, wild pigs, deer, tapir. 500 species of orchids grow here. The bulk of the trees are epiphytes. Such cloud forests are found in tropical and subtropical mountainous areas. Low clouds can take the form of fog and appear to float above the forest. When visitors walk across the suspension bridge, they seem to be walking through the clouds. This gives this forest a unique atmosphere. Tens of thousands of tourists and scientists visit this place every year.
Trees in the jungle can reach heights of more than 40 meters, but on each floor of these high-rises there is a world of its own, full of secrets, legends and magic. This makes Costa Rica an ideal tropical paradise.Unfortunately, more than 2/3 of Costa Rica's forests have already been destroyed. The rest of the forest has been preserved thanks to the Costa Rican government's awareness of environmental problems and their close relationship to our poor well-being.
Dragonblood Forest on Socotra Island
One of the most unusual forests is the Dragonblood Forest in Yemen on Socotra Island. The trees in this forest have unusual tops, like UFOs with an umbrella-shaped canopy. The forest got its name from the bright red sap of the trees. This tree is depicted on the coin of Yemen. These trees bloom at the age of 8-10 years, but sometimes only at 25-30 years. By this age, the trunk reaches several meters in height, all the leaves fall off and leave scars on the tree. Flowers bloom at night, their scent attracts moths.
An Indian legend is associated with these trees. A bloodthirsty dragon lived on the island of Socotra for a long time, drinking the blood of elephants. But one day one old and strong elephant fell on the dragon and crushed him, their blood mixed and seeped into the ground, on which these trees later grew. Previously, their juice was used as a paint by artists, now it is used to treat many diseases. The island where this forest is located is becoming increasingly arid due to climate change. These trees are becoming more vulnerable and in danger.