Spain has a Cloud Forest. Wait...What?
MAY 9, 2024
Prior to relocating to Spain in 2020, I lived near Seattle, Washington and the best part of that experience was visiting the Olympic Peninsula and the Hoh Rainforest. It was there that I was introduced to humidity, mossy branches and the color green. So imagine my surprise when I learned that there is a cloud forest in Spain - and not in the north where most of the rain falls - but in the southernmost part of the country. Tarifa is known for windsurfing and being the furthest point south in all of Europe, and much less known for a cloud forest hidden in Los Alcornocales National Park.
A cloud forest, by definition, is a wet tropical mountain forest at an altitude usually between 3000 and 8000 feet (1000 and 2500 meters) that is characterized by an abundance of moss and the presence of clouds even in the dry season. Unsurprisingly, cloud forests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, with a large number of species directly and indirectly depending on them. Here in Los Alcornocales National Park, there are about 300 days each year and the April day that I went was one of those 300 cloudy days.
Alcornocales means Cork Oak in English, and this is the region where many of the corks for wine bottles come from. During the ascent into the cloud forest, one can observe many of these Cork Oak trees with the bottom 2 meters without bark due to a cork harvest. My guide told me that the bark will regenerate after about 8 or 9 years so the tree isn't destroyed during the process which was nice to know.
From a photography perspective, I shot with 2 cameras. One with a 24-70mm zoom and the other with a 70-200mm zoom. I was somewhat shocked to have used the longer lens for more than 90% of the images. While others might race off into the forest and take 1000+ images, I chose a different approach. I decided to walk slowly and carefully, studying all of the lines, colors, shapes and shadows to try and discover a special composition. I found myself standing in a spot, in silence, simply observing and thinking which made for a calm and relaxed experience. I kept telling myself that there is always a good composition and interesting things to see, if you only take the time to look hard enough. And, as sometimes is the case, I was right.
The highlight of my trip was finding this Scorpion fly sitting on a branch with one of the few non-green things in the forest, a bright pink flower. The male genitalia of this insect closely resembles the tail of a scorpion, hence the name. Scorpion flies feed on dead Invertebrates and plants and are totally harmless to humans although they look pretty ominous. This image has got me thinking about buying a macro lens to take more cool images of nature from up close. The only thing holding me back, aside from spending another €900, is that I really don't want to carry around another lens in my bag.
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