Mexico Field Trip

Day 13 – February 26th, 2005

 

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The day started rather mistily, but by 8:30 when we left for the Barranca de Meztitlan, the mist had already started to clear.

 

Our first stop was made at 6135 ft., beside a steep canyon which led down from the road, many donkey paths on the steep walls of the canyon. There we found Ferocactus hystrix, Stenocereus dumortii, Myrtillocactus geometrizans, and lots of Mammillaria magnimamma, with wide variations in spine length and also flower colour – from light pink to really dark red. The stop was by a rock beside the road painted with a yellow square and the letters RED marked in black, which was very visible as we travelled north.

 

PICT1626         -           The canyon leading down from the road.

PICT1627-9      -           Ferocactus hystrix

PICT1630-1      -           Mammillaria longimamma

PICT1632         -           Sedum sp.

PICT1633         -           Myrtillocactus geometrizans

PICT1634         -           Stenocereus dumortii

PICT1635-9      -           Various Mammillaria magnimamma

PICT1640         -           Hillside where most of the M. magnimamma were found.

 

 

Just around the next bend or so, in the rocks I found what I think is Mammillaria obconella – with yellow / brown spines, and several heads, but no flower at this time. Our pull off the road was at GPS N20 24 59.0 W 98 41 16. Further round the bend we did find what looked like the proper Mammillaria rhodantha.

 

PICT1641-2      -           Mammillaria obconella, with golden spines

PICT1643         -           Mammillaria obconella, with grey spines. Maybe the same species as above?

 

The next stop was made a little further along, at 5460 ft, where there were many clumps of Echinocereus ehrenbergii, with Mammillaria longimamma everywhere, and again Mammillaria obconella. A couple of our group also found Mammillaria wildii growing on some rocks further in, but my left foot was a bit painful after twisting it yesterday, so I declined the climb to my loss.

 

PICT1644-5      -           Echinocereus ehrenbergii

PICT1646-7      -           Mammillaria obconella

PICT1648         -           Mammillaria longimamma

PICT1649-50    -           Mammillaria obconella

PICT1651-2      -           Echinocereus ehrenbergii, with very long spines

PICT1653         -           Typical habitat view at this stop.

 

At our next stop we found Coryphantha erecta and Mammillaria longimamma – a more typical form. The earlier plants had much shorter tubercles and more curved spines.

 

PICT1654-6      -           Coryphantha erecta

PICT1657-8      -           Mammillaria longimamma

PICT1659-60    -           Mammillaria obconella / rhodantha

 

Turning off the main road towards Meztitlan, we stopped along a drive beside the road that led to a rather splendid hacienda. But it wasn’t the house that we stopped to see, but the stands of Cephalocereus senilis, together with Echinocereus ingens and Agave stricta. For the first time we also saw many clumps of white headed Mammillarias, across the hillside and rather inaccessible. On the hillside above the road there were a number of single and multi-headed plants – which were, of course, Mammillaria geminispina. Across the road from where we had parked, there was a track that had been cut through the hillside, and on the relatively flat top, in scrub with Opuntias and Agaves, there were more M. geminispina – rather greener than before, and Mammillaria sempervivi in flower – the true yellow flowered species.

 

PICT1661         -           View back towards the Venados bridge from our parking place

PICT1662         -           Agaves etc down the ravine

PICT1663-6      -           Cephalocereus senilis

PICT1637         -           Ferocactus ingens

PICT1668-75    -           Mammillaria geminispina in various long and short spined forms

PICT1676-8      -           Mammillaria sempervivi – a rather desiccated specimen

PICT1679         -           Ferocactus ingens

PICT1680         -           Habitat photo of the flat ridge with Agaves.

PICT1681-2      -           Mammillaria sempervivi in flower, and a rather better specimen.

PICT1683         -           A lovely Ferocactus ingens group up nr. M. sempervivi.

 

The next stop a bit further on towards Metztitlan was where almost all we could see on the hillsides were Ferocacti and Mammillarias.

 

PICT1686         -           Hillside full of Ferocacti

PICT1687-91    -           Mammillaria geminispina groups

PICT1692         -           Ferocactus everywhere

PICT1693-6      -           Mammillaria geminispina clumps.

 

Further along the road towards Meztitlan, Norbert suddenly spotted something and we stopped hurriedly, to discover that we were looking at Mammillaria elongate (a form of this), which was very exciting.

 

PICT1697-8      -           Mammillaria elongata

 

Beside a donkey stable further along at we found a huge group of Ferocactus glaucescens. And shortly after, I called for a stop, as I had seen Coryphantha erecta and Astrophytum ornatum on the rocks beside the road.

 

PICT1700-2      -           Ferocactus glaucescens

PICT1703         -           Looking across the valley of Metztitlan, towards the south

PICT1704         -           Hillside the other side of the road, with C. senilis and lots of other plants

PICT1705         -           Coryphantha erecta

PICT1706         -           Mammillaria geminispina – the form often called nobilis.

PICT1707         -           Astrophytum ornatum

 

We then went through Metztitlan itself, quite a thriving centre, but the whole of the valley is heavily farmed, with houses creeping up the sides of the valley. I am sure that much habitat has been lost, but luckily enough for us, there was still enough left. We made a stop just outside Meztitlan on the way back to see Agave albescens, Astrophytum ornatum, and Ferocactus glaucescens in flower.

 

PICT1708         -           Agave albescens

PICT1709         -           Agave albescens and Astrophytum ornatum

PICT1710         -           Agave albescens and Astrophytum ornatum

PICT1711         -           Ferocactus glaucescens in flower

 

And yet more Astrophytum ornatum at El Saltire,

 

PICT1712-16    -           Astrophytum ornatum, some very old and tall.

 

and at the other end of the village more Coryphantha erecta and Astrophytum ornatum plants.

 

PICT1717         -           Coryphantha erecta

PICT1718         -           Mammillaria geminispina and possible an unknown Mammillaria in the front, with a tall single body.

PICT1719         -           Michel up the hillside with Astropohytum, Ferocactus, Mammillaria and a trailing Cereus of some kind.

PICT1720         -           A lonely fellow!!

 

 

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