Feb 25
Frailejónes, Espeletia, "big monks"
A relative of dandelions and daises, these Andean plants are specially adapted to harsh days and frigid nights. Due to such extreme conditions they have evolved to collect, save, & share water. Its structure eliminates the transpiration that most other plants do, instead trapping the water it collects from passing clouds and the low-lying fogs. Any water unused by the frailejón is expelled into the surrounding soil, allowing its neighboring plants and people from Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela
- image from iNaturalist
-information from Atlas Obscura: Wildlife by Cara Giaimo and Joshua Foer
