Brazilian alpine Dyckias

Some alpine Brazilian Dyckias, South Region

Our Brazilian South Region comprises three states, Paraná, Santa Catarina,  and the Southernmost state Rio Grande do Sul. It is a singular, beautiful and rich part of Brazil. Here we speak Portuguese, and our population is mainly composed by German, Portuguese, Azorian, Italian, Polish, Ukraine, Austrian,  African slaves and native indian descendants.

We have winters  and snow fall may happen on the highest parts and early morning frosts are a casual event during  late Autumn, Winter and early Spring.
I am about to show you pictures taken on the highest peaks of Southeast Paraná and Northeast Santa Catarina. These species  are truly alpine ones and they live all in between 1200 and 1880 meters above sea level. They are used to deep frosts, snow, icicle and, freezing winds.
We will see mostly Dyckia monticula and Dyckia fosteriana var. robustior and some never seen ones and still to be studied,  understood and described.
To reach those Dyckia fields one must have a super well fit body, courage, disposition of an adventurer, correct equipament and the will of a wild goat. These guys are two  46yo Brazilian doctors.
Dr. Alexandre Kinas a veterinary and a mountain climber, Dr. Wilson Müeller, biologist and botanist.
These picture I too from From Vilson-s laptop computer using a camera so they are all low quality  ones but will  allow us to see what is about to come.

In a week we shall show her high quality pictures. Consider these just  an avant premiere of what we´ll see.

You see Dr. Alexandre Kinas face refletion to the left and Vilson´s to the right.

An undentified Dyckia amid grasses.
Grasses protect Dyckia from the extreme cold and strong winds.

We usually see them both together.

 Weather is surprisinly dangerous on top of out southern mountain. All od a sudden a dense fog may come out from the nothing and you can´t find the way back to the camp. One can not spot the tip of his own nose...

These pictures are about to be among the best ever taken on a alpine Dyckia field.

No, not Dyckia.

It is a dwarfened  natural bonsai Handroanthus albus, a huge tree  when down the hill.
Alpine trees tend to be dwarfened due the the local weather conditions.

Their sleeping bags were made to down to 10°C and the temperature overnight got dpwn to -5°C!
They could not sleep but tremble. A campfire is totaly out of question here.

Well all these picture and many many more we shall see again in a best way, soon.

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