Samwise Gamgee

Samwise Gamgee

What exactly is a rain forest, you say? Well, on the outside, a rain

forest has a wall averaging 20 feet thick that is made of a tangle of

vines that love light. This wall seals off the interior creating the

illusion that the whole jungle is this thick. But if you find an

animal path or stream to follow, you can slip through and enter this

mysterious world.

Once you're inside, you can look up and see a tree canopy that's as high

as a 17 story building! And it's pretty dark too, a perpetual twilight.

Only 1% of the sunlight ever actually touches the floor of the forest. And

moonlight, even a full moon, doesn't get through at all. You'd better have

a flashlight with you if you plan on reading any comics.

Rain forests have different layers that support different animals and

insects. Some plants and animals occupy specific layers, while others

live and feed wherever they can. I live in the lower canopy of the South

American rain forest because a lot of the fruit I like to eat is found there.

The tallest trees in the canopy layer grow up to 200 feet high. Some of the

trees that poke through (called the "emergents") have been known to grow as

high as 270 feet. It is not uncommon for the expansive umbrella crown of an

emergent tree to cover an entire acre. Now there's a good spot for a

treehouse.

Many types of indigenous peo...

Samwise Gamgee

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