Composite Landscape of the Ilocos Upland

                   Composite Landscape of the Ilocos Upland 

Mural and Description by Dr Abe V Rotor 

 Upland  mural in acrylic on canvas (5ft x 12ft) by AVRotor, 2017 A composite  landscape interpretation of the Ilocos Region by the artist, native to the place, professor, author and scientist in natural history. 

  

 Haystacks (mandala) and farm houses, migrating birds, stream in idle flow - indicate the quaintness of the Amihan season - October to January, when the Siberian winds chill the air that ripens the rice and corn fields and favors the planting of semi-temperate crops like cabbage, cauliflower, onion and garlic.    

 

Closeup of a typical upland landscape, characterized by gullies and rills, and silted stream and miniature delta, nonetheless endures to the seasonal habagat or monsoon (May to September), and the dry, hot season (February to April) - owing to the unique geography of the Ilocos region which is a narrow strip of land wedged by the Cordillera on the East and the South Philippine Sea on the West. 

  

Wildlife is preserved on the uplands, an ideal habitat of insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, freshwater fish, and a wide diversity of naturally growing plant species, source of food, medicine, firewood, and handicraft materials. The profile of the Ilocos region starts from the sandy seacoast, cuts through lowland and upland, runs on th sloping foot of the Cordillera range.  It is indeed an ideal area for research in biodiversity of flora and fauna, as well as in sociological and cultural studies. ~

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going to fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." 

- Eddie Cantor