Out & About in Sitio 3

In the Upper Macae conservation area there are two valleys running more or less in parallel. One is of the River Macae and the other the Rio dos Flores (Flowers River). We walk over the saddle between the two valleys and pass the mystical Bicuda mountain on top of which, it is said. one of the rare clones of the yellow Sophronifis was first found.

The headwaters of the Rio dos Flores belongs to our own Sophronitis Enterprises and is almost all original forest. The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens carried out much of their Mata Atlantica project in this forest where they catalogued all the trees over 2.5 cm. diameter. Of the 360 species of tree growing there three new species of were described which gives you an idea of the enormous richness of this area. Here you can
walk the mountain ridges and see Encyclias, Sophronitis, Maxillarias and many more, or you can follow the river where the trees are rich in Pleurothallids, the ethereal Maxillaria leucaimata. Promenaeas and Pabstia jugosa galore. Sitio 3 is truly a magical place.

Oncidium enderianum

Most of the habitats described so far are on the seaward-facing, moist slopes (the scarp) which receives over 3 metres of rain each year. In recent years we have expanded our itinerary to include the exploration of more remote but fascinating fragments of original forest found mainly on the landward facing mountain slopes (the anticline). These areas were devastated by the coffee growers and the railroads that followed and any suitable land was torched and coffee planted until the soils ran out of nutrients and yields fell. These landscapes are mostly barren swathes of poor grassland but our researches over the last few years have revealed pockets of great richness containing much of the original flora. Researching these areas, one can begin to get an idea of the incredible richness that was the anticline. For example, we have found the rare slipper orchid, Phragmipedium vittatum growing in dripping dampness along with the stunning carmine-flowered Bletia catenulala. In another area we have seen masses of Stanhopea guttulata hanging from the roots of trees over a chasm many metres below. And, at the bases of inaccessible sugar-loaf mountains, out of the reach of farmers and grazing animals, we found colonies of Schomburgkia crispa, the giant Epidendrum paniculatum and the almost extinct, Laelia perrinii.

But some of the most interesting areas we take you to are the least obviously orchid rich. The bare granite rock faces are fascinating micro-environments with whole island communities of grasses, mosses and lichens with Vellozia bushes and associated orchid populations. On some of these slopes you can expect to see around 20 species of orchid including Cyrtopodium glutiniferum, Pseudolaelia corcovadensis, Zygopetalum reginae, Bifrenana harrisomae and the Dead Man's Fingers of Pleurothallis teres.

There are over half a dozen sites that we visit regularly on the anticline. All are fascinating for their orchids and their individuality. but we do not have a definite itinerary as all the trips are weather-dependent. For example, it is impossible to walk on the granite slopes if they are at all wet so those sites are only visited on bone dry days when there is no prospect of rain.

Click here for a description of your arrival and journey here from Rio de Janeiro Airport.