FRAY JORGE NATIONAL PARK (AND NEARBY TOWN OF LA SERENA)
Fray Jorge National Park is along the coast of Chile naerly 300 miles north of Santiago. Despite having very little rainfall (around 5 inches per year), there are small patches of Valdivian forest due to moisture from the fog and very low evapotranspiration rates (due to very cool summers--similar to that of the central coast of California--in this region of maximum upwelling of coastal waters). This is despite being near 30 degrees South latitude (versus around 36 degrees North for the central coast of California).

Included on this page are a few pics from nearby La Serena, which had a very European feel (the cool cloudy weather due to the marine layer made it feel like Northern Europe, except with palm trees planted). This is how cool the climate of La Serena is (note again the summer temperatures).

First, a view of the small patches of Valdivian forest (from the desert)...



In contrast...a view within one of those small, yet incredibly dense, patches of forest...



The transition area just outside the forest...



Looking east from the top of the mountain, there's desert...



But looking west, there's the coast (shrouded in fog)...



View of a bit of ocean...



Marine layer fog attacking the mountain tops (with a nice clump of Puya chilensis in the foreground)...



Back in the forest, here's a thicket of olivillo trees (Aextoxicon punctatum)...



The yelmo shrub was very common here (Griselinia scandens)...



Lichens near the edge of the forest...



A view combining the ocean, fog and forest...



View of the marine fog from the desert side...



A bit further east in the desert was this excellent stand of Chile's most common trunk cactus, Echinopsis chiloensis.



Another nearby spot (this time with more boulders)...



A view in a somewhat similar habitat about 100 miles south where due to the strong coastal winds, there is a wind generating array under construction...



Now...to the town of La Serena, about 50 miles northeast of Fray Jorge (but still very near the coast). Note again the European feel...





Bougainvillea around a small plaza...



A city park...



A few plants which are ideal for a marine layer climate (with irrigation, of course)...hebe (purple flowers), hopseed bush (red-purple leaves) and a kentia palm...



All of the above pictures on this page were taken in November 2009 by Brandt Maxwell.

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