PLANET EARTH Seasonal Forests

Great tracts of North America flush red as the season progresses. The effect is so spectacular and so extensive that it can be seen from space. The threat of winter frost is not the only reason for trees to shed leaves. These forests stand in the tropics. Here day length never changes but the dry season is so severe that the trees can't afford to lose the amount of water that would evaporate from their broad leaves, so the leaves must be shed.



The seasonal forest resembles a European woodland in mid-winter but the heat is overpowering, and it's inhabitants, unfamiliar. For the creatures of India's teak forests, these are desperate times but salvation（拯救） is at hand. The mahwa tree is about to bloom. It's flowers are full of liquid making them irresistible. The mahwa is an oasis in a hot dry desert. Those that fly or climb are not the only ones to get a share.



Chital deer（白斑鹿） follow the langur monkeys（懒猴） collecting the flowers that fall. The monkeys welcome the deer, for deer are unrivaled at spotting predators. If they are relaxed, it must be safe to come down to the ground and gather the food that lies there but it's not wise to travel far from the sentinels（哨兵）.