libro place makers

8/3/2019 Libro Place Makers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/libro-place-makers 1/11

PlaceMakers



Here, we are witness to the most wonderful occurrencein any desert… the awakening of life after the rains.

Our rainfall average is 13 inches per year, ¡which is 10 times lessthan Mexico’s southeast! (for example, Chiapas averages 156inches). The only way rain occurs here is if there is a storm near the Peninsula. Due to this, rainfall must be used in the best waypossible.

Previously we’ve learned about how cacti can store and protect their water, but what happens with the other plants? Remember thatduring the hottest months everything seems dry? Plants go “to sleep”to avoid misusing energy and water. This can occur every fewmonths or even years. Once it rains, everything comes back to lifeat full speed. Some plants such as the Red Torote and Ocotillos areable to make their leaves grow in just 24 hours. That is becausethey need to make use of a very short humidity period in order togrow.

The GreenDesert



We a re privilege d tolive in one of the mos tbe autiful regions onthe plane t.pollinating commission, birds, insects, reptiles and mammals, byusing the most colourful and fragrant flowers. The same way plants

do, many animals like frogs, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects

awaken to fulfill the same duties, into what is considered one of the

most beautiful spectacles in the world.

Remember how fortunate we are and let’s work together so in addition

to us, our visitors can enjoy this as well. We need to handle our

resources in a responsible way. We can do this if we don’t waste

water at home and of course if we don’t litter on the river beds.

Growing is not the most important factor but reproduction is. So this

is when the show begins. Many plants are competing to attract the

pollinating commission, birds, insects, reptiles and mammals, by

using the most colourful and fragrant flowers. The same way plants

do, many animals like frogs, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects

awaken to fulfill the same duties, into what is considered one of the

most beautiful spectacles in the world.

Remember how fortunate we are and let’s work together so in

addition to us, our visitors can enjoy this as well. We need to handle

our resources in a responsible way. We can do this if we don’t waste

water at home and of course if we don’t litter on the river beds.



This has been happening for millionsof years and it is the reason why thePeninsula and the Gulf were created6 million years ago. During this time

life has adapted and specialized dueto climatic changes also. Can youimagine that this place was a tropicalforest just 2 million years ago? We

have one of the highest rates of “ENDEMIC” (plants and animalsliving exclusively in one region) species in the world, beaten just byAustralia, a Continent! Researchers from all around the world areinterested in places like this to try to understand how life has evolvedon our planet, due to the huge diversity of species and “local” climates.We are facing a huge challenge as we live on Nature’s UltimateExperimental Field. We MUST not just admire and enjoy it but alsopreserve it. Let us respect all the other species who live with us on

this Ark of stone.

The Ark

of Stone

Do you dare to acceptthe challenge?

We are living one of the greatest adventures on the planet as are allthe other inhabitants of this land too. We are sailing away in anorthwest direction at 1.6 inches a year on a boat known as TheBaja California Peninsula. According to the Continental Drift Theory,the surface (crust) of the planet is divided into many floating pieces(something similar to a soccer ball but with irregular shapes insteadof hexagons) that are moving and crashing against each other. Weare at the edge of one of these called The Pacific Plate. The rest of México, with the USA and Canada, are on the North American Plate,which is pushing us.



It happens in some islands as thename says and it occurs because of the lack of water, food and spacefounded on islands and the best ideathere if you want to survive is tobecome small, so you will need less

resources.Certainly we are not living in an island but the isolation we find inthe peninsula resembles the same situation.

This is not only happening with mammals but it also extends toinsects, birds and even reptiles, being the case of whiptail lizardsthe most interesting of all... these lizards usually length about 11inches while their far cousins from Asia have reached the lengthof 9 feet !! the infamous Komodo Dragon, which grow this bigbecause of a similar process but working the opposite way.

This is probably one of the mostimportant lessons we should learn,specially when we live in isolatedplaces with few natural resources,

because it takes more time for Mother Nature to recover from this….

This has been happening for millions of years and it is the reasonwhy the Peninsula and the Gulf were created 6 million years ago.During this time life has adapted and specialized due to climaticchanges also. Can you imagine that this place was a tropical forest

just 2 million years ago? We have one of the highest rates of “ENDEMIC” (plants and animals living exclusively in one region)

species in the world, beaten just by Australia, a Continent! Researchersfrom all around the world are interested in places like this to try tounderstand how life has evolved on our planet, due to the hugediversity of species and “local” climates.We are facing a huge challenge as we live on Nature’s UltimateExperimental Field. We MUST not just admire and enjoy it but alsopreserve it. Let us respect all the other species who live with us onthis Ark of stone.

Have you ever seen that some of the animals livingin this beautiful land are quiet small? A good example of this are our ground squirrels, that actually look more like chipmunksor our tiny jack rabbits, once in a while crossing some of our ruralroads…this situation is due to an adaptation process known as“Insular dwarfism”.

TheImportancy

of BeingSmall



Rock Figs,Architects

of theDesertOur beautiful land is home of a countless number of plants considered as unique in the World. This is dueto the isolation we are found, because even we arepart of the continent, life here develops like in anisland. One of these wonderful plants is the rock figor Zalate.

Fig trees or ficus are common residents of the tropical forests; thisfact makes the Baja California something unique because it hasadapted to live in a dryer climate. This survival is possible since

the tree absorbs humidity from the morning dew and the marinebreeze. Its pale color helps it to stand the hottest days of midsummer reflecting the solar energy.During its never ending struggle in search for water, its roots growin all directions creating fanciful designs and also embrace andbreak granite blocks, becoming a sanctuary of life itself, becausedifferent kinds of animals, like spiders, reptiles and small mammalsuse the tree as residence.

This is just one of the many inhabitants of our “neighborhood” whoteaches us that no matter how difficult life could seem it is alwaysfighting to prevail.



This fall, just like every year we Hill have the opportunity to admirea famous movie star… unfortunately for them this fame has turnedinto infamy, due to the frightening appearance and mostly the lackof knowledge about their habits because they are always hiding…we are talking about our wonderful desert TARANTULAS(Aphonopelma chalcodes) who have starred many collectivenightmares but also fantastic dreams, and since we have just arrivedto live in their neighborhood it’s our obligation to learn about them.

It is very usual to meet them at this time of the year because it’smatting season and males leave their burrows to look for a girlfriend,no matter what time of the day this happens. These spiders areabsolutely non dangerous to humans, this is because they are shyand we are not included on their diet; they just feed on crickets,roaches and other spiders.

The tarantulas venom is not worse than bee’s or wasp’s but therecould be people whose organisms react different to this, that is whyis recommended to consult a physician in case of a bite, but asalways, it’s better to leave them undisturbed in case we have anencounter with them, and try not to hurt them if they are visiting usat home, just simply try to put them into a container and releasethem in any open space, remember that they are quite importantsince they help controlling the amount of insects that could be harmfulto us (grasshoppers, roaches, etc.)

The Beautyor the

Beast?



We are fortunate to be neighbors to themasters of adaptation in the desert, andthere is still time to learn and improveour life’s quality.

We are talking about the cacti, which isthe right way to refer to this group of plants as the word cactus is used for asingle plant.

These plants have modified the shape of their bodies in order tostore the most valued currency of the desert… water. Most of themdo this using their ribs which are folds formed all along their bodiesto allow the plants to expand and shrink as accordions to store water during the dry season. Then they face their greatest challenge, toprotect all this water. That is why their leaves became thorns todiscourage any animal to eat them.

The most admirable fact about them is the way they produce their

own food. While other plants go through photosynthesis during theday and lose water by evaporation, cacti can release oxygen duringthe night to avoid dehydration.

They have synchronized their blooming season to avoid competingwith each other and to become a constant source of food for thedesert inhabitants. Like them, we must adopt this balanced relationshipwith the environment and do something more that just guarding our resources in order to become positive beings.

Join us in our expeditions through our magic land and let’s learn together from our wise neighbors.

The Eldersof the

Desert



One of the mostinteresting charactersin the animal kingdomis living among ushere in Los Cabos.

We are talking about a medium sized raptor with a bold white andblack plumage pattern, and a bright yellow face and legs. This bird,due to the conditions of the ecosystems it inhabits, presents variousand unique adaptations. This bird lives solitary or with its mate, whostays loyal for all its life like most falcons and eagles do. It is the onlyfalcon that nests and it usually does this on rocks or small bushes.

iIt feeds on small rodents, lizards and other birds, but its principalmeal comes from carrion. The Crested Caracara, Mexican Eagle or Quelele also plays the role of buzzards, taking any chance to havea feast on the carcasses of dead animals. This contributes the

cleansing process which is very important in the desert environment

where dryness makes the rotting process impossible.One of its principal adaptations is the lengthening of the legs whichallows it to walk or even run , making it unique among all falcons.

The Caracara were persecuted for a long time, almost to the pointof extinction in several states because people used to believe thatthey stole the calves of cattle. Recently they have become a protectedspecies and some populations are becoming stable.



A necessary element of human nature is to fear the unknown. It isa mechanism that has helped us to survive through millenniums. Butwhen our fears overcome our vision we are unable to admire thewonders surrounding us. This is the story of the snakes.

These beautiful animals exist all sizes (from 4 inches to 30 feet) andsince they appeared 135 million years ago they continue to adapt toalmost all the ecosystems.

Easy to be identified, with no limbs or eyelids, they are also ectothermic. This means they depend on the environment temperatureto regulate their own. So if they are cold and slow they simply go outand take a sun bath but if it is too hot they must look for shelter inthe shade. It is because of this fact that we can’t find them duringwinter as they are hibernating.

There are about 2600 species around the world but just few areconsidered to be dangerous to us due to the toxic effects of their saliva, the infamous venom.

We have to coexist with snakes and that’s why it is so important tounderstand their reason to exist and their function in the ecosystem.

The only genus considered dangerous on thepeninsula is rattlesnakes.There is no way to miss them. They have an efficient way to warneveryone with the rattle which is made of similar material as our nails.Other ways to identify them are the triangular shape of their heads.

This is due to venom glandules located at the back of their heads.Also they have vertical pupils like cats because of their nocturnalhabits and their heat sensing pits that they use to hunt in completedarkness.

Don’t forget that they are not harmful or evil. Their venom is morea tool for hunting than a weapon for attacking, and they don’t wantto waste any drop of it on animals that are not included on their menu(us).

The rattlesnake venom is a tissue-destructor. This means that itliterally dissolves any kind of cell and not just blood cells as it’sbelieved and its function is to immobilize, kill and pre-digest since allsnakes eat their preys whole.

The best way to prevent an accident is to be always on alert whenyou explore the countryside, not walking during the night and never look with your bare hands on rocks or under dead trees which areperfect places for a rattlesnake to hide.

Shakingthe Ratle



Open up your eyes. Have you ever noticed the hairy weeds all over some trees all across the desert landscape or how about themysterious balls hanging on the branches or even on the telephoneand electric cables?

We are talking about the Spanish “moss” and the Ball “moss” ,which

are not real mosses but members of the pineapple family and arevery important in the cycle of life.

They are found from USA to Argentina.They really are “aerial plants”,so they are adapted to obtain water and nutrients from the air, rainfall,breeze or even the morning dew. They do this through their leavesthat work as pumps. The roots, serve as anchors to hold over theplants they inhabit. Their pale color helps to resist the sunlight,especially the ones that live on the cables. They can be reproducedwhen pieces of them adhere to animals or are simply removed bythe wind and these pieces originate a new plant. Their presence,indicate humidity, something hard to assure in the desert.

The popular belief is that these plants parasitize other plants andsuck their sap to death. The most reasonable proof that this is nottrue is that many of them live on cables.

They are really important in the ecosystem since they serve as refugeto thousands of species of insects, spiders and even some bats, andalso birds use pieces of them for building nests.

Liftingthe veil of

mystery fromThe Parasite

Moss It doesn’t matter how insignificantcould seem to us, has an importantreason to exist.

libro place makers

Documents