Otoño is here

San Telmo Morning, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Crisp air and the changing colors of the leaves harbor the approach of winter. Fall / Autumn / Otoño is here and porteños are bundled up in jackets, scarves and sometimes gloves. We've added more blankets to our bed and our normally non lap-cats are all about the snuggles these days. The Plane trees and the Ash trees offer the starkest reminder of the seasons. The Plane trees leaves are slowly turning brown and are a mottled mix of faded green and light brown. The palmate leaves flutter down congesting the sidewalks and streets. The pinnately-compound leaves of the Ash trees along Rivadavia are mostly just turning yellow and dropping to the street below. Every once in a while a strong gust of wind will produce a shower of leaves that I have yet to capture on camera. I usually see these showers as I'm riding the bus which lend an eerie feel to the late night trips. The seed pods of the Ash trees remain behind creating a strange heaviness to the otherwise bare branches. These seed pods are like the helicopter seeds of Sycamore Maple trees, but are single "blades" and spiral down much faster as a result.

Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg and Ash Tree, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Red and Yellow "American Sweetgum" Leaves, originally uploaded by blmurch.

In Recoleta, I came across some trees I'd never seen before - American Sweetgum - or Liquidambar in Latin Castellano (and Liquidambar styraciflua in Latin), which has the most amazing seed pods. They are called "monkey balls" and are spiky and look very intimidating, however they weren't that hard. (click here to see the above photo in large where you can make out the brown seed pods.) The leaves of these trees were a brilliant red and orange and yellow and I was immediately drawn to them as I was lamenting the lack of fall brilliance in Buenos Aires. Yellow is nice, but the beautiful burst of red and orange make for a wonderful change and really make it feel like fall is here and winter is approaching.

Fall in Recoleta, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Leaves turning, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Palo Borracho / El Toborochi

Palo Borracho trees at Independencia, originally uploaded by blmurch.

In my research about the trees of Argentina, I have come across some legends and I thought I would share one of them now. This is from Bolivia and is about the Palo Borracho or - El Toborochi - as it's known there. I've translated this as best I could from here. I'm pretty sure that the words in parentheses are Guarani. If anyone knows of more, please let me know! I love reading these stories.
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A long time ago, when gods lived on earth as people, the dark spirits (Aña) abused the early Guarani people, killing the men and stealing their women.

In a small village lived a beautiful young woman named Araverá "Sparkle in the sky", the daughter of the grand chief Ururutï "White Condor". She recently married the hummingbird god, Colibrí, (Chinu tumpa), and hoped to soon have a son, who would grow up to be the best Shaman (Paye) of the area, capable of destroying all of the evil spirits.

The Añas got wind of her plans and schemed to kill her, without any consideration for Araverá. They mounted their fire-breathing winged horses and pointed them to her small town; but Araverá, saw what danger she was in and escaped, flying to the ultimate ends of the universe in her tiny flying chair that her husband Colibrí gave her.

The Añas pursued her everywhere, the the depths of the waters, under the earth, and higher than the stars. When her tiny flying chair finally couldn't support the weight of her and her growing baby anymore, they descended to earth and hid inside a Toborochi (Samou), and the Añas passed them by and never found them. There inside, Araverá bore her son. The boy grew and took revenge upon the evil of the Añas, but his mother remained in the trunk of the Samou, as she does to this day. Sometimes, when she does go outside, she becomes the tree's beautiful flower, so that the hummingbirds can come and enjoy her nectar.

Palo Borracho Flowers, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Tipa Trees

Calle Honduras shaded by the towering Tipas, originally uploaded by blmurch.

I first noticed these crazy beautiful trees upon our arrival in Buenos Aires in November 2006. As we would walk underneath them we would get dripped on. It took me a while to figure out that it was these trees. I still don't know why they "spit" in the spring. It's a bit disconcerting when you first encounter it. The drops feel like water and not like sap, so either it's from the leaves or flowers or the sap that it is leaking is highly viscous. They only pretty much "leak" in the spring and early summer. I wonder if it has anything to do with their flowers.

The Tipa trees Tipuana tipu are native to Argentina, but not so much to Buenos Aires. In English they are called "Rosewood Trees". Sr. Carlos Thays planned the planting of trees throughout the city and mostly used native Argentine trees for the job. Tipa trees line many of the broad avenues where they grow full and broad - Av Bullrich, Av Las Heras, Av Alem and Paseo Colon for example. However, when they line narrower streets, like Honduras and others in Palermo, they tower and meet in the middle. You can imagine yourself inside a cathedral with high vaults and arches as the light streams through small openings, much like the stained glass.

These trees also remind me of the respiratory system in the lungs. The branches twist and turn as they grow as most trees do. However, they turn when they don't "have" to, at forks and so the branches are not straight at all. The dark brown trunks spread out and up and diminish as the branches, well, branch off. The dark wood contrasts intensely with the light green leaves, especially when they are backlit. The similarity to the respiratory system doesn't end just in appearance. If you think about it, trees are the lungs of the earth - inhaling carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen. It is awfully nice of nature to make such beautiful "organs" of this body we call Earth. It's a shame that Sr. Thays never got to see his work as we see it now. He got the immediate joy of seeing his parks and gardens sculpted in place, but the trees that line the streets of Buenos Aires were small and nowhere full grown when he died in 1934. His legacy lives on in full glory. I'm glad he had such forethought.

Further reading in English and Spanish:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipuana_tipu
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipa
http://www.arbolesornamentales.com/Tipuanatipu.htm

Tipa in Palermo, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Greens, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Congreso and the Tipas, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Snowfall of Tipa Flowers, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Julio Carlos Thays

Julio Carlos Thays (1849-1934) French landscape architect, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Julio Carlos Thays was born in Paris, France on August 20, 1849. He studied landscape architecture under Édouard André. At the age of 40, in 1889, he was brought to Argentina at the request of Miguel Crisol to design Sarmiento Park in the city of Córdoba (second largest city in Argentina about 600 kms to the north-west of Buenos Aries). As happens with most travelers who come to Argentina, he fell in love with the country. He became a permanent resident and lived the rest of his life - until 1934 - in Argentina. He was given the position of the Director of Parks and Walkways of Buenos Aires and designed many of the parks and plazas around town. He also was responsible for bringing two of my favorite native trees of northern Argentina to Buenos Aires, the Jacaranda and Tipa trees. They line the streets and avenues, providing fresh air, shade, beauty and grace to the busy streets. I have a sneaking suspicion that he was also responsible for the introduction of the Plane trees, but I have no proof. I first saw them when I lived in Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France and was happy to see them here.

Mr. Thays was responsible for the majority of the greenery you see here around town and has made a lasting impact. I know I'm not the only one who is enamored of the trees here in Buenos Aires. He remodeled many of the parks - Bosque de Palermo, Centenario, Lezama, Patricios, Barrancas de Belgrano and the plazas - Constitución, Congreso, and Mayo. His largest work was the creation of the National Park of Iguazu Falls. He worked on many others throughout southern Latin America, in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. I learned in my Spanish class that the Plaza del Congreso was built at the same time as the Avenida de Mayo which connects the Casa Rosada and Cabildo with the Congress and required the tearing down of whole city blocks of buildings to make way for the open space in front of the Congress Building.

The Botanical Garden is Mr. Thays's crowning glory and bears his name: Jardin Botanico Carlos Thays. He planted the historic Palo Borracho tree that greets visitors at the Plaza Italia entrance on September 7, 1898. This tree has since been filled in with cement to stop the spread of disease and preserve the trunk. It seems to have worked. I visited the garden in March with my in-laws when they came for a visit. It is a must for visitors and locals alike. The trees and other plants are beautiful, the signs are informative, the benches are mostly shady, the sculptures provide culture and knowledge and the cats create a wonderful ambiance. You can almost forget you are in the middle of a large metropolis, but not quite. We sat on a bench and shared a mate and drank in not only the bitter herb, but also the gorgeous first day of autumn.

Historic Palo Borracho Tree, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Jardin Botanico de Carlos Thays, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Further reading in English and Spanish:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Thays
http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/med_ambiente/botanico/biografia.php
http://blogs.clarin.com/parquepatricios/2008/11/2/el-legado-carlos-thays
http://carolinagarden.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/personajes/

Holding on to summer colors

Closeups of remaining jacaranda flowers, originally uploaded by blmurch.

The days of summer wane here in Buenos Aires. I am happy to report that the summer rains have come back. Enough, hopefully that the drought here might come to an end. Some of the Plane trees are starting to change color from green to light brown. The few bright bursts of color that do remain belong to the Jacarandas, Ceibos and Palo Borrachos. The pink blossoms of the Palo Borrachos hang limply and fall, covering the ground with their long pink petals. The occasional Jacaranda tree sports scattered purple bunches of flowers. The trees have gone from purple with a hint of green, to mostly green with a hint of purple. It appears that the bunches of flowers that are holding on are the at the ends of branches. Baby seed pods are starting to grow. The Ibirá Pitá and Tipa trees are green giants now with their dark and long brown trunks. Their yellow flowers have all fallen off. It doesn't seem that summer can almost be over, but the trees tell a different story.

Ibirá Pitá on Lavalle

Ibirá Pitá on Lavalle, originally uploaded by blmurch.

There are some beautiful trees here that I have only recently noticed and think of as Yellow Jacarandas. I have seen them line 9 de Julio and I ran into them as I turned the corner onto Lavalle from Callao this past week. Their leaves are feather-like, as are the purple Jacarandas, but they are much taller, their flowers are yellow and are currently in bloom.

As I didn't know what they were, I looked in the database of trees that is maintained by the city of Buenos Aires. You can look trees up by the address of the street, or by the characteristics of the tree. This service is not something I would expect here, but am so very glad it exists. It has its quirks and bugs, but what doesn't? I knew that the trees were at Lavalle and Callao; I was able to find out that that is the 1800 block of Lavalle. Then I plugged that address into the database and it gave me a list of various trees on that block of Lavalle. I clicked through and finally found the tree. They are called Ibirá Pitá, and the official name is Peltophorum dubium. According to wikipedia, in Uruguay they are called arbol de Artigas and in Brazil they are called Cana fístula.

These trees are similar to the Tipa trees in that they are tall, shady and have yellow flowers, but the branches, leaves and flowers are all very different. Like the Jacarandas and the Palo Borrachos and the Tipas, the Ibirá Pitás are native to Argentina. They can also be found in Paraguay, Brazil and Urugay. Specifically in Argentina, they are from the northern provinces of Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy. These provinces' biomes range from high desert to humid jungle. The trees grow on the riverbanks to get much-needed water. Had I not seen them in bloom, I would have thought them to be the purple Jacarandas that are all over the city. Now, I know better.

Shady Summer

Walking in the park, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Buenos Aires is a walker's delight. The city is mostly flat, the public transportation is better than average and you can easily stroll from one plaza to the next. However, the trees are the best part. They are not just plentiful and beautiful, they also are really handy in the summer, providing much needed shade. Summers here are hot and humid. People walk slowly and wear very little. There is very little "striding" and much more "ambling". Also, in the heat of the day, people tend to walk on the shady side of the street to beat some of the summer heat. The Plane and Tipa trees arch over the streets and avenues, reminiscent of high cathedral ceilings. The branches, leaves and the thick trunks of the trees play with the light and shadows on the ground, not quite like stained glass windows, but close. As the sun falls to the west in the late afternoons, the temperatures drop ever so slightly and the shadows lengthen providing much needed respite from the heat and the sun's glare.

Palos Borrachos

Palos Borrachos a independencia, originally uploaded by blmurch.

One of my favorite trees here in Buenos Aires is the Palo Borracho. I first encountered them along 9 de julio, specifically at the Independencia subte stop along the C-line. There is a gorgeous row of about half a dozen rotund prickly trees. Their oval trunks remind me of chianti bottles that you see as candleholders in Italian restaurants. I have been told they are only full like this when there is water below for them to store. Palo Borracho means "drunken pole" and I'm not sure if it refers to fact that they store water or if they look like a wine bottle, either way it fits. Their trunks have a green tinge to them and when young are covered in thick sharp thorns. As they age, the thorns fade from their aged bodies and relocate to their younger extremities. I'm not sure what they are protecting against, but damn they are sharp and not to be messed with.

In the spring, avocado-like seedpods dangle from their branches in hard green shells. As time goes by, or as parrots attack, they burst open and the fluffy cotton insides fly all over the place making a mess. As spring turns into summer, buds form and the large lily-like flowers open up. Most of the palo borracho trees in Buenos Aires have pink flowers, but some are somewhere in between white and yellow. I prefer the luscious pink flowers. They are a sight to behold. I've mostly seen young palo borracho trees here specifically planted in the parks. Once, I did see one growing in the crack of a roof terrace in a one story building in San Telmo. Not sure which will go first, the tree or the building.

You can see more photos of these beautiful trees on my flickr stream.

Purple and Green spring

Purple and Green spring, originally uploaded by blmurch.

Springtime has arrived to Buenos Aires. The trees have come alive, the birds are full of energy and vigor and the sun shines brightly. The streets are lined with full trees casting cooling shadows on the sidewalks.

The Ceibo tree, the national tree of Argentina (and Uruguay), bursts forth with red flowers, adding a splash of color to the gnarled and knotted brown branches. The peeling european Plane trees arch tall over the avenues, the spring wind sending their fluffy seeds flying through the air to land on the ground below. The dark and light Tipa trees drip on the unsuspecting people walking the boulevards underneath. The purple Jacarandas brighten the parks, plazas and streets as parrots flit and cry between them. The thorny Palo Borracho trees' seed pods burst white cotton buds from their budding branches. The expansive Rubber trees grow so large their heavy branches need to be propped up by posts. The Mimosa trees fan their pink flowers out over their delicate and sensitive green leaves. The Poplar trees and the Eucalyptus trees dot the expansive Palermo Bosques.

The trees of Buenos Aires give life to the city. Most of the greenery is due to Carlos Thays' work in the late 1800s. He designed the Jardin Botanico, the Bosques de Palermo, and many of the important Plazas: San Martin, Congreso, Mayo, Constitutión, Lezama among others. He is responsible for the large tree-lined avenues which I love so much. The Tipa and Plane trees arch over the grand boulevards and avenues and provide much appreciated shade in the spring and summer.

This blog will explore the beauty, the history, the legends and the life cycles of the trees of Buenos Aires. I hope you enjoy the posts and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.