Soils, litter

Most trees in the Amazon are deciduous, i.e., they lose their leaves at least once a year, normally during the dry season. Depending on aberrations of rainfall, it's common to see some species of trees putting on new leaves and then shedding them again as the dry season continues. The forest litter can be quite thick in September, especially under the Brazil nut trees. I find myself being more careful to look for snakes during these times because there could be anything among all those large, loose leaves. Image: Arthur Daniel Alexander.