The Local Wild-Life

It is difficult to get a good feel of the local life here in Chile while confined for quarantine. We are not allowed out in the public which is obvious. We are allowed to walk outside in a specific area of the hotel's grounds with strict no-contact policies to anyone except those in our Cohort. (Pictures above per Pinterest)

Normally when I visit a place that is exotic to me, I love to spend as much time in the local culture and regional wilderness as I can. It has been challenging to have this amazing gateway to Patagonia right in front of me but not be able to venture out and explore.  After two days of our routine, I realized I was going to need to satisfy that need to explore in some other way.  It came back to me quickly in a memory of a message from a great teacher of mine. He said, “ take a 1-foot x1-foot square area of natural space and it can teach you for weeks if you widen your vision and sharpen your awareness.” So I realized I was blessed. I had a few thousand square feet to explore.  I will show you what I have found so far. 

I began early this past week looking at the grounds we have our outdoor time each day in with a different eye. I asked myself what else is here besides the obvious grass and dirt with a picturesque view?  At first, it did not seem like much. So I started with the plants. Some were native and some were planted by the hotel.  I tried to observe the native species. Much of the native grasses and landscape has been affected here by a century of domestic grazing. Sheep and ranchers have for many decades transformed this landscape. It reminds me of the sage-like pastures of central Montana where I lived for many years. The species of plants the sheep did not have a taste for have little comeptition and hence thrive .  The picture on the left I believe is Berberis microphylla, common name box-leaved barberry and Magellan barberry, in Spanish calafate and michay and other names, is an evergreen shrub, with simple, shiny box-like leaves. The Calafate is native to southern Argentina and Chile and is a symbol of Patagonia. The picture on the left I believe is Berberis microphylla, common name box-leaved barberry and Magellan barberry, in Spanish calafate and michay and other names, is an evergreen shrub, with simple, shiny box-like leaves. The Calafate is native to southern Argentina and Chile and is a symbol of Patagonia. The picture on the right seems to be a Wild Daisy but I can not seem to find if they are native.