Daintree Tea
We visited a tea plantation. Nearby growers were harvesting their sugar cane.
Beach meets Rainforest
There were many beautiful beaches in the Daintree area. The rainforest plants grew right up to the edge of the beaches.
When the tide was out, we saw evidence of small sea creatures that burrowed into the sand. They threw out the sand behind them in perfect little spheres.
Treking through the Rainforest
The rainforest had an incredible diversity of plant life. The were lots of epiphytes that clung to the trees and then grew very large. We enjoyed wandering the trails with our guide and learning about the different types of plants.
There's a Fungus among Us
The spinning top fungus (Microporus xanthopus) was remarkable not only because of its beautiful appearance, but also because it grows in so many different colors. We also enjoyed seeing all of the different types of seed pods that the various trees had growing on them.
Picnic at a Pond
Stopped for lunch near a pond in the rainforest. The water was incredibly clear.
Pond Life
Our guide tried to convince us that it would be really relaxing to take a swim in the pond. When he offered a leftover sausage from lunch to the turtle, however, the turtle jumped out of the water and snatched it out of the guide's hand. Then the fish and the eel surrounded the turtle to try and get some of the sausage. After that, we decided that if we wanted to keep our sausage-like appendages in tact, we were better off not going for a swim.
Also of interest at the pond, we saw some turtle eggs and some red spiny insect eggs attached to some leaves. The black butcher bird hung out with us during lunch hoping to pick up on anything we dropped.
Flowers in the Rainforest
We came across many beautiful flowers in the Daintree rainforest.
Show Me your Sign
During our travels we came across some wonderful signs. These are some of my favorites. I especially like the warning to watch out for cassowaries and the warning to watch for dangerous punctuation! Unfortunately, we never did see either of those things. Maybe the warnings worked...
Daintree River Cruise
We spent several hours with a guide cruising the river to get a different perspective of the rainforest. Saw lots of trees that were adapted to living right at the edge of the water. Many trees were still covered with epiphytes. The birds and crocodiles were abundant and interesting to observe.
Crocodiles
There were some very large crocodiles in the Daintree River. They appeared to be will fed and happily basking in the sun.
