The Paramillo
LThe warm light that breaks over clear Andean mornings is what gently bathes the highest peaks at dawn. One of them is shown here, its ridge painted orange by the first rays of sun. This is the Paramillo de Santa Rosa, a group of peaks that rise to an average height of 4,600 meters above sea level, emerging in the distance on the western edge of the Otún Lagoon.
The Lagoon
Part of Los Nevados National Natural Park, the Otún Lagoon lies within the lands of the Risaralda department. Situated at 3,950 meters above sea level, the lagoon is mainly fed by the continuous melting of the glacial cap that blankets the Santa Isabel snow-capped peak in white. Much farther downstream—let us remember—these waters supply the aqueduct of the city of Pereira.
Paramo Duck
Its scientific name is Anas andium. Commonly known as the paramo duck, it is, so to speak, a mountain bird that roams between 2,600 and 4,300 meters above sea level. Besides Colombia, it is also found in northern Peru, Ecuador, and northwestern Venezuela. In the waters of the Otún, its diet consists of certain aquatic plants and small invertebrates native to the lagoon.
The Apeñusque
Among the many treasures of the Otún Lagoon, its dense populations of frailejones stand out, many of them located on the western slopes that border this water reservoir. There are several frailejonal areas where the frailejones seem to have found in the apeñusque the best way to shelter themselves and withstand the low temperatures that chill these lands.
Adaptive Power
After enduring a night below zero degrees Celsius, this plant will soon face the imminent heat of the morning sun that will thaw and scorch it. Later, it may also have to withstand the blows of the paramo rains, which alternate with sporadic moments of sun and freezing wind. The surprising and admirable adaptive capacity of species to survive the extreme conditions that accompany life in this place finds a very eloquent example in this image.
Traslated with AI support