Ricardo Boricua
Well-Known Member
In the XIX century the island of Puerto Rico underwent massive deforestation. 99% of the primary forest was cut down to plant sugar cane, coffee or tobacco. Also wood was the main fuel used for cooking. Small patches of forests only survived here and there in places where agriculture was impossible. Many endemic plants survived in small numbers in isolated areas. Nowadays the island is one of the few places in the world where forests are returning. Mainly due to the population shrinking from people leaving the island and an alarmingly low rate of births. Orchid rich habitats are still rare and the best ones are in places where you have to risk life and limb to reach. I found this Lepanthes selenipetala in a mountain forest, a place that can only be reached during the driest part of the dry season. 
