Autumn in Chile varies widely as one travels from the Atacama Desert in the north more than 4,000 kilometres south to the tip of Tierra del Fuego. Around halfway between these two extremes you can find Conguillio National Park and the volcano Llaima at Chile's centre. In March, at the start of the Southern Hemisphere's autumn, the leaves of the deciduous forest begin to turn colour and fall, and the native Chilean pine trees (Araucarias) stand out even more strikingly. Because of their distinctive appearance and the fact that they thrive in a wide range of climates, the trees became a favourite of botanists in the 19th century, who transported and cultivated them in many temperate climates around the world.
