PUERTO VALLARTA AND ENVIRONS
Here are pics from the Puerto Vallarta area, including (especially) some of the surrounding an almost rainforest-like (during the wet season) tropical dry forest.

First, Puerto Vallarta proper...and a view of Bahía de Banderas.



Some beach scenes, including a small amphitheatre...



Looking inland from the beach (including Templo de Guadalupe, a bit towards the left)...



The malecón (boardwalk)...



A few pics of the Playa de los Muertos (in far southern Puerto Vallarta)...







A street in the hills...



Templo de Guadalupe...



Where the Río Cuale empties into the sea (the river is split here, creating an island to the left)...



Swinging (and difficult to use) foot bridge over one of the branches of the Río Cuale...



Along the Río Cuale, just a few miles inland from Puerto Vallarta...





Another foot bridge over the Río Cuale...



The gravel road in this deep valley...



Cohune palms (Attalea cohune) were common on the slopes in this area...





Wild philodendrons (possibly Philodendron radiatum) poking out of dense vegetation...



Another Philodendron, this one being a vine (Philodendron hederaceum), hanging down (but not interrupting) a view...



Looking the other direction (in forest). Note the Bursera trunk (and more Philodendron hederaceum)...



One common (and somewhat weird, especially with the thorny trunk and the blossoms) tree, the bean of San Ignacio (Hura polyandra)...







A close-up of a cecropia tree (Cecropia obtusifolia), just outside Puerto Vallarta...



A Bursera tree north of Puerto Vallarta in the state of Nayarit. These consist of many species (many looking similar to each other) and are common in many parts of Mexico. Most are drought deciduous.



Some Bursera trees in the woodlands (these have crooked branches, a common trait of this genus)...



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

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