Very close to the Zotz camp you can find a watering hole in the southern part. The aquatic plants that prevail are the Lechuguilla de agua (Pistia stratiotis); Lentejas de agua (Lemna sp.) and (Salvinia sp.) lettuce had a very small white flower.
Everything together creates a very beautiful landscape. On the shore you can see a Zapotón, Pachira aquatica, which we have photographed in large numbers in the Municipality of Livingston, but you can hardly see it in Petén.
Aguada Lechuguilla – El Zotz. Drone Photo by Haniel López. February 17th
At least an hour by car from the first camp of the biotope you can reach the entrance of another of the watering holes of this site, in which if you are lucky you can see crocodiles (Crocodylus moreletii). Then you can go to the Laguna El Palmar, which is a bit complicated to observe, since there is a lot of vegetation growing around it. The team is prepared so we have a ladder which allowed us to have a better view of the place.
According to SIGAP (s.f.) “On the shore of the El Palmar lagoon the oldest occupation was found, where small human groups took advantage of the abundance of natural resources. For more than 900 years they developed their settlement, with an Astronomical Commemoration Complex and a Triadic group, both decorated with masks. In the year 100 A.D. the political headquarters moved to the top of the limestone escarpment, in search of defensive spaces.”
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
In February we documented species in Río Ixtinto, within the Parque Nacional Yaxha, Nakum y Naranjo. Our main objective was to photograph the blooms of Palo de Tinto or Palo de Campeche (Haematoxylum campechianum). This tree is native to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. It was an important source for extracting red, blue and black dyes, but in addition to its dye use, it is also used for restoration, forage, firewood, ornamental planting and it is a honey species (Red de Viveros de Biodiversidad, s.f.).
Taxonomy:
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Spermatophyta
Subphylum
Angiospermae
Class
Dicotyledonae
Order
Fabales
Family
Fabaceae
Subfamily
Caesalpinioideae
Genus
Haematoxylum laceolatum
Species
Haematoxylum campechianum laceolatum
Source: CABI, n.d.
Haematoxylum campechianum Palo de Campeche or Palo de Tinto. PNYNN - Río Ixtinto. Photo by Edwin Solares. February 14th
During the tour we did not find as many flowers as we expected, but it was different from the previous months. On this occasion the weather has been a bit cold and rainy so the River was fuller and wider, we took some pictures with a Drone which allowed us to see that the Río Ixtinto is linked to the Julequito Lagoon in this season.
We saw several birds flying along the river bank like a Kingfisher and two woodpeckers, this was cute and curious on Valentine's Day.
Haematoxylum campechianum Palo de Campeche or Palo de Tinto. PNYNN - Río Ixtinto. Photo by Edwin Solares. February 14th
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
In October we visited Lagunita Creek for the third time during the Documentation of Livingston, Izabal Project. This time the atmosphere was more humid than the last times we have visited it. Therefore, we find various mushrooms on the trails that we want to show you.
As you drive from Guatemala City towards Rio Dulce (en route to Peten) you will see giant mahogany trees all along the highway in El Progresso and Zacapa areas. The mahogany trees are easiest to recognize from October onward when the giant seed pods are visible.
I have been driving this road since the 1970’s. so am familiar with these beautiful trees and their large seed pods (the size of a large pine cone, but smooth).
This week (November 11, 2021), I kept seeing these pods but they were a white color, not the soft brown color of a mature pad that I was used to. So finally I stopped to take some snapshots. Our telephoto lenses were all packed in the back of the vehicle so I had only an iPhone 13 Pro Max available to take snapshots.
We were en route to Rio Dulce, to stay as guests of the owner of Marina and Hotel El Tortegal, along the Rio Dulce south of the highway bridge.
Swietenia macrophylla King, plant family Meliaceae, mahogany in English, caoba in Spanish.
One of our objectives of the October expedition was to photograph the “Espino de Vaca” tree, so we spent one morning walking to the Aldea El Rosario where we could document it.
The next day, in Tapon Creek Reserve, at the edge of the trail we were able to find one again. This tree is important, since it is part of the series of Edible Plants of Wetlands of the Municipality of Livingston, Izabal.
Pithecellobium laceolatum is a species of tree belonging to the FABACEAE family. It lives in tropical and subtropical areas, grows from 0 to 1800 meters above sea level; This species is distributed from the south of the USA, Mexico and Central America. This plant serves to regenerate and improve the quality of the soils because it is associated with other species of the same or other families. It is adapted to survive in climates from very dry to very humid.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom
Plantae
Order
Fabales
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Pithecellobium
Species
Pithecellobium laceolatum
Botanical description:
Size
Reaches up to 15 m in height.
Cortex
Its base measures 30 cm or more, it has horizontal marks from which two spines are detached.
Flowers
3 to 8 centimeters hermaphroditic, small white to yellow in the shape of spikes.
Leaves
Coriaceae, alternate, pinnate (composed of two pairs of leaflets) 5 to 10 cm long and 2 3.5 cm wide.
Fruits
Young green pods between 5 to 20 cm and turn an intense red color when ripe.
Seeds
Up to 8 seeds per pod that are 1 to 1.5 cm long and 0.8 cm wide Brown.
In October we visited Lagunita Creek for the third time during the Documentation of Livingston, Izabal Project. This time the atmosphere was more humid than the last times we have visited it. Therefore, we find various mushrooms on the trails that we want to show you.
We invite you to visit Lagunita Creek in Río Sarstún, Izabal to conduct research on flowers and fungi, and you can also do ecotourism.
Fungi have different mutualistic relationships, such as mycorrhizae, which refers to the relationship that exists between fungi and plant roots. On the one side, the roots secrete sugars, amino acids, fatty acids and other organic substances that benefit fungi and, on the other hand, fungi convert the soil minerals and decomposing matter into forms assimilable by the roots of the plant.
There are also endophytic fungi that establish a relationship with the plants where they live within them without causing symptoms. In this case, the fungus is capable of producing bioactive metabolites, as well as modifying the defense mechanisms of its host, allowing and increasing the survival of both organisms.
Fungi classification
Chytridiomycota
Predominant aquatic fungi, these have flagella and are the most ancestral fungi.
Glomeromycota
Fungi that make symbiotic relationships with other organisms such as mycorrhizae.
Basidiomycota
They are the most common fungi that we know as mushrooms, they help fix nutrients and degrade organic material in forests.
Zygomycota
They inhabit terrestrial foods, a large part of the molds that attack vegetables.
Ascomycota
They form lichens, these are associated between fungi with algae, cyanobacteria, yeasts.
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
“Labios de mujer” Psychotria poeppigiana is one of the species that we have best photographed during our October 2021 expedition. In Aldea El Rosario, Tapón Creek, there were places where several flowers and fruits of this species were observed.
Psychotria poeppigiana is a species of plant of the RUBIACEAE family. What we commonly see as the red petals of this plant are actually modified leaves or also called bracts. These turn red due to the carotenoid pigments they contain, as a strategy to attract pollinators. The flowers are actually white in color and clustered in the center. When these are pollinated, blue colored fruits can be observed.
Rubiaceae is a family made up of about 600 genera and more than 1000 species of herbaceous, shrubs, trees, vines, epiphytes, which are distributed and of greater diversity in the tropical belt.
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Plantae
Order
Gestianales
Family
Rubiaceae
Genus
Psychotria
Species
Psychotria poeppigiana
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
