LAKE CHAPALA AND ENVIRONS
Here are pics from Lake Chapala, south of Guadalajara. Lake Chapala is a natural lake almost a mile above sea level and is very shallow. Most of these pics are from around the town of Ajijic (where there are a lot of retirees from the US and Canada).

First, some views of the lake from above Ajijic...





A closer look at Ajijic (and the lake). The red-flowering trees are African tulip trees, very commonly planted in Ajijic.



View to the east (note the variety of palms planted here, including a coconut palm in the lower foreground, despite being about a mile above sea level)...



Montane tropical dry forest above Ajijic, including a large Pachycereus...



A very common shrub with brilliant yellow flowers (not sure of the species) above Ajijic.





A hillside full of these shrubs...



Another hillside view...except...this is from the December 2005 trip during the dry season (note the contrast)...



Another wet season view (with clouds shrouding the tops of the hills)...



Back on the trail above Ajijic...some of the shrubs were already showing some yellow leaves (even though the rainy season hadn't ended yet), including this unidentified shrub (note the shrubs with the yellow blooms to the left)...



A finally, a large tree/plant nursery near Ajijic...





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

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