Capriconio's blog: "EL YUNQUE "

El Yunque is located in a green belt like most Tropical forest around the Equator, The Equator cover approximately seven percent of the Earths surface. El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System. The Sierra de Luquillo Mountains which transverse this area receive over 200 inches of rain a year.
Located in the east side of Puerto Rico, the forests covers an area of 28,000 acres.El Yunque is big in diversity, There are more species of trees in the Forest that there are in all the other forests of the National Forest System put together.
The Taino believed their gods lived in the Sierra de Luquillo.As the home of Yuquiyu, The good God who protected them from all that was evil, gave the cloudy peaks a name which means white or sacred lands. The Spanish explores translated the Taino tern in error to "Yunque
Petroglyphs are etched in some of the forests rocks as a reminder of the early inhabitants of the area, The Taino Indians for whom the forest had a spiritual significance
Over 200 inches of rain, or about 100 billion gallons, fall every year over the expanse of El Yunque .Eleven of Puerto Ricos major rivers rise here. An estimated 20% of the islands populations depend on the forests water for domestic use. Filtered by forest vegetation these are some of the purest water found on the island
The Yokahu Tower can be seen from various forest locations. The view offers the opportunity to study the four different forest types, mountain peaks and the remaining effects of Hurricane Hugo

 El Portal del Yunque" The Architecture. El Portal means gateways.This unique Center is the gateway to new experiences,a place to enjoy while learning about El Yunque. The tropical architecture blends with the forest to celebrate the bond between people and the environment.The Portal are for young and old alike. Exploration and sensory experiences are way to involve visitors in the process of discovering the many wonders tropical forests have reveal. Ecosystem management in El Yunque National Forest is combination of scientific knowledge with sustainable forestry. It blends the needs of people and environmental values in such a way that the Forest maintains a diverse.healthy, productive and sustainable ecosystem In 1976, The United Nations designated the Forest as part of  theinternational network of biosphere reserves

The Forest is made up to four very distinctive types of the Tabonuco,Sierra Palm, Palo Colorado, and Cloud Forests.The Tabonuco Forest type which cover14,106 acres in found from Subtropical Moist, Wet and Rain Forest Life Zones at altitudes of 150m to about 700m above sea level .At lower elevations, this forest is home to large straight trees with enormous crowns which emerge above and form a completely dark canopy.The Yagrumo hembra , or weathervane tree and the Yagrumo macho,or matchwood are also quite abundant. Their leaves move to the rhythm of the breeze showing their silver and gold colors.The Sierra Palm, or Palma de Sierra Forest is associated with all zones occurring in the Forest. Found chiefly on steep slopes and stream beds above 1,500 feet above sea level, it commonly forms almost pure strands of Sierra Palms .Since 1946 El Yunque has been a Commonweath Wildlife Refuge . There are120 vertebrate species which include bats,lizards and birds. Also ,15 species of amphibians inhabit the forest, In the cool streams,small fish,shrimp and crabs are found. Small lizards are common everywhere, while the Puerto Rican Giant Green Lizard, which can grow up to 16 inches in length , is found mostly in the limestone hills.Bats are the only native species of mammals found in the forest,though the introduced mongoose and rat are also residents. Various land snails thrive in the heavy rainfall of El Yunque . Spiders, centipedes,butterflies and a variety of insects add to the diversity of the fauna. There are 16 species of tree frogs in Puerto Rico but only two produce the special co-kee sound which has become a symbol of all tree frogs in the Island. Some call to defend their territory, others are made by mating male to discourage other males from attracting females .The Coqui does not go through a tadpole stage. The female lays 28 eggs and at the end of the incubation, tiny froglets, replicas of the adults, emerge.Coquis living in the coastal lowlands are tree-dwellers: those living in the highlands live mostly on the ground The Puerto Rican Boa (Epicrates inomatus) is among the snakes that inhabit the forest, although it is seldom seen. A non-poisonous snake, it is hunted for its oil used as folk remedy. It is the largest native species of snake, growing to over 6 feet in length. There is ongoing research to decide whether the Boa should be considered endangered or not at this time. Everything in the forest is protected

El Portal del Yunque part3 Birds, although not very often seen, contribute to the life and colors of the forest. Some 66 species are found in El Yunque, including nine which are unique to the Island.The Puerto Rican Parrot,PuertoRican Lizard-Cuckoo,Green Mango,Puerto Rican Emerald, Puerto Rican Tdy,Puerto Rican Woodpecker,Elfin Woods Warbler, Puerto Rican Tanager and Puerto Rican Bullfinch. The Forest is home to bright colored hibiscus and more than eighty orchid varieties, leaves, vines such as the giant elephant ears and more than 150 varieties of fern. Creeping bamboos as well as mosses hanging from trees are a common sight. Many of the medication we use today come from rain forest plant. Cortisone is one of them. There are others used to treat heart disease, leukemia and nervous disorders. To today ,only a fraction of the more than half-million plant found in the rain forests have been investigated in the laboratory The Forest is a site for forestry training for people from around the world in cooperation with the International Institute of Tropical Forestry . It is the best studied tropical forests in the world .Lessons learned here help in developing wise management strategies for forests around the world