Around the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua, life has struggled for thousands of years to re-emerge from the ashes. Underground, vampire and other bat species have colonized the miles of tunnels created by hot flowing magma. In the crater - once filled by a giant lava lake, parakeets and vultures have made their nests on cliffs exposed to toxic gases. On the flanks of this still active mountain, the vegetation has been burnt away by lava flows leaving long barren stretches that are recolonized over hundreds of years, beginning with the lowly lichen and ending in flourishing forest. At the foot of the volcano, fields, pastures and towns have now grown over the oldest lava flows. In this harsh environment, nature struggles to conquer ash and lava before the next eruption erases its efforts...and the phoenix must rise again.
