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Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:17 am
by Amante
Getting down into the valley was quite difficult as the vegetation and ground was slippery because of the rain. We only found two further species of cacti. Mammillaria haageana ssp. conspicua and Coryphantha pallida and off-course, the Agave. In the absence of cacti I try to take other pictures and here was a menagerie of butterflies of all shapes and sizes.
The valley with Neobuxbaumia mezcalaensis.
The valley with Neobuxbaumia mezcalaensis.
Mammillaria haageana ssp. conspicua
Mammillaria haageana ssp. conspicua
A beautiful specimen of Coryphantha pallida
A beautiful specimen of Coryphantha pallida
Agave species
Agave species
Butterflies from the Genus Papilio, perhaps glaucus??
Butterflies from the Genus Papilio, perhaps glaucus??

Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:21 am
by Amante
By the lay of the wings I think this one is a skipper, but which species?
By the lay of the wings I think this one is a skipper, but which species?
Yet another one.
Yet another one.

Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:22 pm
by Roger Mann
lovely pictures. I always look upon Mexico as a really interestig place. Did you see any Echeverias where you went ?...................Roger :smile:

Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 3:05 pm
by Amante
Yes, Roger. Not many, but I did find in some places which I will show in future posts. :smile:

Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 3:08 pm
by Tony R
Excellent travelogue, Amante. Thank you! Please keep it coming!

Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 10:00 am
by Acid John
Ok here's my shot
Heraclides erostratus
Lerodea maybe dysaules
and the third one we need a photograph of the underside.

Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:31 am
by Amante
Thanks Acid John. I will take note of the names. It is good to be able to name the creatures one sees. I do not have a photo of the underside of that last one. I have taken more pictures of butterflies in that valley but since this is a cactus and succulent site I will try to stick to our spiny friends as much as possible.

In the afternoon I went to buy some maps of the area and one shop was tended by a teenage boy and girl. I told them I was looking for cacti and the feller went inside and brought me two uprooted cacti. A Coryphantha and a F. recurvus. It was very difficult for me to explain that it was not possible to take cacti with me on the airplane even if by some miracle it become legal. I could see it all over his face that he was offended for not accepting his offer. He informed me that a friend of his had found many cacti near their school. He gave me details and I jotted down the name.

Later I got into a micro (the name for local mini-buses) and went to Santiago Huajolotitlan (Note the j is always spelled as an h in Spanish). But either I was in the wrong area or his information was incorrect as all I found was F. recurvus , Stenocereus stellatus and Escontria choitilla, cacti I had seen before in previous visits. In all fairness, I should add that I am always satisfied when I find cacti. It started to drizzle again and getting darker so I made my way back to Huajuapan.
E. chiotilla, Santiago Huajolotitlan, Oaxaca
E. chiotilla, Santiago Huajolotitlan, Oaxaca
Escontia chiotilla. note the scaly fruits.
Escontia chiotilla. note the scaly fruits.
A multi-ribbed Ferocactus recurvus. The ruler is 15cm long, 6 inches.
A multi-ribbed Ferocactus recurvus. The ruler is 15cm long, 6 inches.
That evening I was looking at the map I had bought and noticed the name Vista Hermosa on the outskirts of Huajuapan. It was one of the field names for M. solisioides.

So the next day we went by taxi to the mentioned place and at first we searched on one side of the road among some ruins. There was hardly any cacti at all. Across the street and onto another hillock that looked barren we found Mammillaria solisioides and Coryphanhta aff. retusa.
Mammillaria solisioides, Vista hermosa, Huajuapan de Leon, Oaxaca
Mammillaria solisioides, Vista hermosa, Huajuapan de Leon, Oaxaca
Coryphantha aff. retusa and Mammillaria solisioides
Coryphantha aff. retusa and Mammillaria solisioides

Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 6:42 pm
by Amante
We planned to travel to Miahuatlan but to do so we needed to stop at the city of Oaxaca (pronounced Wahaka). At that time there were skirmishes and protests against their governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. We found barricaded roads and hundreds of buildings painted with graffiti against their governor. Luckily we passed safely. Some people had been killed in those protests and later even a young American journalist, named Brad Will. We made it to Miahuatlan safely.

From there I planned to travel to San Jose Lachiguiri to search for Ortegocactus macdougallii. I had searched for this plant in 2003 and gave up after it got dark and I had to travel back to Mexico city to return the car I had. Now I had no car so I had to hitch hike all the way which is a long way off as the road meanders along the valley edge. In one of the rides I had, I stopped at a place not far from San Luis Amatlan. Here I found what I believe to be Mammillaria albilanata ssp. oaxacana or it could be an extreme form of M. haageana. At this site I also found Coryphantha retusa.
M. albilanata ssp. oaxacana?
M. albilanata ssp. oaxacana?
I finally arrived at Lachiguiri at about midday. I found the same type of Mammillaria as above and further on I found Ortegocactus macdougallii. Also found were; Mammillaria karwinskiana ssp. nejapensis, Ferocactus recurvus ssp. greenwoodii, Myrtillocactus schenckii, Echeveria nodulosa, Fouqueria macdougallii and a host of unknown Agave, Hechtia and Bromelia.

It was like being in a natural garden. Now I had to return back to Miahuatlan with several more hitch hikes.
San Jose Lachiguiri
San Jose Lachiguiri
M. karwinskiana ssp. nejapensis. It looks more like the typical M. karwinskiana to me.
M. karwinskiana ssp. nejapensis. It looks more like the typical M. karwinskiana to me.
Ferocactus recurvus (latispinus) ssp. greenwoodii
Ferocactus recurvus (latispinus) ssp. greenwoodii
Ortegocactus macdougallii
Ortegocactus macdougallii

Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 6:51 pm
by Amante
O. macdougallii. Notice small seedlings.
O. macdougallii. Notice small seedlings.
Echeveria nodulosa in flower.
Echeveria nodulosa in flower.
M. albilanata ssp. oaxacana? at San Jose Lachiguiri.
M. albilanata ssp. oaxacana? at San Jose Lachiguiri.
Unknown succulent could be an Echeveria. any feedback would be most welcome.
Unknown succulent could be an Echeveria. any feedback would be most welcome.

Re: My Mexico adventures

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:52 am
by Liz M
Spectacular scenery and plants. I thought the last could be Echeveria gigantia, then I found E grisea, which appearance-wise must be a strong contender. In John Pilbeam's book he states it is found in the remote south-western state of Guerrero, is that anywhere near where you were?