Chilco, at Home in the Wild

Fuchsia magellanica

That’s the Spanish name for this, the Hummingbird or Hardy fuchsia. I’ve seen several pre- and post-bloom examples of fuchsia magellanica over the past week, so was thrilled to spot this one yesterday along the one-kilometer path to the base of the Serrano Glacier in the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park near the southernmost reaches of Chile.

Its cultivars and hybrids are widely cultivated elsewhere where it’s sold to attract hummingbirds and as an ornamental plant, but Argentine and Chilean Patagonia is its primary setting in the wild. Near the shores of the Ultima Esperanza, or Last Hope Sound, I was told, where it can reach three meters in height, is where it feels particularly at home. Thus this variation on this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, whose theme is ‘Home’.

Below is another, seen today here in El Calafate, Argentina, near the shores of Lago Argentino.

Much more on the boat trip and visit to the glacier coming soon. Tomorrow I’m heading to the Perito Moreno Glacier, and then onwards to El Chalten where I hope to spend a slightly longer period in order to take a break from non-stop moving and where I hope to begin to catch up with several posts from travels over the past 10 days. A temporary home of sorts.