<< Previous Next >>

3000 years old


3000 years old
Photo Information
Copyright: michael shalter (retlash) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 60 W: 1 N: 168] (1069)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-09-26
Categories: Nature
Camera: Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/800 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-11-07 15:20
Viewed: 541
Points: 6
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This plant is called Yareta (Azorella compacta; family Apiaceae), a tiny flowering plant occurring in the Andes between 3200 and 4500 m. It grows in a very compact way in order to reduce heat loss and lies close to the ground, where temperatures are 1 to 3 degrees higher than the mean air temperature. This perennial plant grows at a rate of 1 mm per year, and thus many Yaretas are over 3000 years old! This one exists at 4500m where the old guy shown on the left felt nearly that ancient while merely attempting to breathe!
Incidentally, the stones piled on top date from an Inca tradition...you pile a few stones on top of one another and make a wish. I've seen similar things in Jewish and Christian cemeteries. Any connection, I wonder?
Roly, appalcarp has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekLens members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekLens members may write critiques.
Discussions
None
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

Hi Michael, great job on the models here. Good note, too. I've never heard of this tradition myself so it's news to me. TFS Good exp on the fg, the sky is a bit washed out, but I have this same problem with severe contrasts. TFS

  • Great 
  • frubio (6)
  • [2007-11-30 14:49]

HI man.. where is it?. when you've goint to..?.
Good picture, but the stones is tradition for know where is the person, and don't lost the position..
I saw a lot of Yareta when i was trip to Cotahuasi , near to Coropuna - Solimana.
Regards
DanyWalker,

Great shot last year I went to teh frontier between Peru Bolivia and Chile it was very high and there where lots of green bunches like this one in your photo, I wanted to stomp on them they seem to be full of water

Love your photos they tell stories and I have seen many of the thing you show

Tyanne

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF