Winter in the Serranía de Cuenca

The history of planet Earth, with its different eras and periods, has gradually been shaped by the fusion of the conclusions of countless scientific investigations and the consequent geological history of many rock formations from each and every region of the world. Summary of geological eons, eras, and periods of Earth About 250 million years … Continue reading Winter in the Serranía de Cuenca

Jaranda riparian

The Tagus river crosses the peninsula like a scar on the face, which, however, for millennia, adorned that land's face with life. Today, not anymore. The scar is rotten, full of contaminated sediments, bleeding wealth to a few in exchange for its death and the annihilation of its tributaries. But these first capillaries still remain … Continue reading Jaranda riparian

Undersea world

Like Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, those of us born in the 60s and 70s owe a tribute of gratitude to Jaques-Ives Cousteau, a man with an immense adventurous spirit, an explorer who discovered a new world and awakened the curiosity and imagination of those of us who were regulars to his films. Cousteau was … Continue reading Undersea world

Forests and mushrooms

Any reader will enjoy immensely the books "The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature" and "The Songs of Trees: A Journey Through Nature's Connections" by David George Haskell, a biologist and writer who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012. Some people think that to understand ecology, one must embark on daring … Continue reading Forests and mushrooms

The climate of fungi

The world is starting to become restless with the "Global Warming" that we euphemistically refer to as "Climate Change". "Warming" is a word that allows for very few doubts. On the other hand, "Change" is a vague word that can mean anything and everything. Trying to scare people with immediate apocalypses, desertification tomorrow, rising sea … Continue reading The climate of fungi

Autumn in the chestnut grove

To learn about the seasonal changes, one must look at the trees, contemplate the chestnut groves, the great oak forests, and the small poplar groves clinging to a thread of water. Autumn used to be a time of celebration, of gathering apples and pears, pomegranates and fruits of the gods, of harvesting walnuts, hazelnuts, and … Continue reading Autumn in the chestnut grove

Coastal wetlands

Marshes, estuaries, lagoons, and other coastal wetlands can be found throughout the world. Wetlands, in general, are among the most productive ecosystems and host a great biodiversity at a global scale, or at least when compared to other environments, since they combine the presence of water for longer periods of time, nutrient accumulation, and a … Continue reading Coastal wetlands