Legends of the Fall

Autumn in Los Glaciares National Park, in Argentinian Patagonia, heralds a sea of changing colours. The foothills of the southern Andean mountain range are covered in beech trees, known locally by the Mapuche as lenga trees. The trees are hardy, tolerating the low temperatures and high winds. In April, the leaves of the lenga turn from green to yellow and then to red and brown. Such is the way of life in Patagonia that a single storm can remove every single leaf, so the colourful show is at the mercy of the weather. These two images show gnarled lenga trees up close, framing the majestic Fitz Roy mountain; the symbol of Patagonia.