Starting today, we are hosting bromeliad scientists from all over the world in Vancouver. How exciting! Welcome everybody! Let’s have a lot of fun (and do a bit of work at the side, too). Check out this amazing webpage by Alathea, the master of media and lab communications. Go bromeliad go!
Let’s save the world!
Ever felt frustrated by the slow (or non-existent) progress we are making in saving this planet??? Just go and visit the Bosque Eterno de los Ninos in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Children all over the world collected money and bought a huge piece of rainforest to save it for the future. It is incredibly beautiful and wild. Shows you that little people can do big things by going many small steps. Just like the army ants I just encountered in this very forest (and that helped me to about 5-8 new bird species within 5 minutes!!!). So conservationists out there: don’t despair, we are going to do it! And now go and put some money into those children’s collecting boxes!
Finally, the light
We saw the world beyond the bodega yesterday for the first time in a week. It is still there. Hard to believe when a thick wall of clouds and rain holds you hostage in your little wet field station. Robin did a cute sun dance when the wall finally opened and we were all a great deal happier. Maybe the latter is also because my first experiment is finished! There is an end to everything (but two ends to a sausage)!
I am in love with altitudinal gradients (For Andrew)
Climbed a volcano on the weekend. I went from dry forest to rain forest to montane forest to shrubs to grasslands to bare moonscape alpine zones. The vegetation changed, the animals did, the weather did (oh boy, the storm near the top!). But I still found bromeliads at 1600m! And they had mosquito larvae in their tanks. Students, come and work on altitudinal gradients on volcanoes in Costa Rica! (but bring better rain gear, flimsy ponchos do not like strong winds ;-))
Popcorn & Aracari
Sighting of the 3rd Toucan species at Pitilla:
the Collared Aracari!
Watched it while munching popcorn on the lawn……I love birding 😉