The Other Pollinators – Flies

Fall is here in Philadelphia and flowers are fading, but this Chrysanthemum plant is just coming into bloom. This one plant is attracting a nice array of pollinators, especially flies. In fact, in the last three days I have documented 15 species of flies pollinating the flowers. Fly species on these flowers outnumber all the other pollinator species I have observed combined: 4 bees, 2 beetles, 2 plant bugs, 1 wasp, 1 moth and 1 ant.

Chrysanthemum ‘Snow Dome’

Generally I prefer native plants, but I appreciate what this cultivated daisy is doing for our flies.

Meet the flies:

Orthonevra nitida Syrphidae

The Wavy Mucksucker (yes, that is its name) measures 4 mm long and is a member of the hover fly family.

Sedgesitter
Platycheirus sp. Syrphidae

A Sedgesitter, another creatively named fly in the hover fly family.

Eastern Calligrapher
Toxomerus geminatus Syrphidae

A Margined Calligrapher laps up nectar.

Eristalis tenax Syrphidae

Common Drone Fly is an alien species now found around the world. It starts life in the water as a rat-tailed maggot. The tail is actually a snorkel which comes in handy since the water is often foul and oxygen depleted

Lucilia sericata Calliphoridae

The ubiquitous Common European Greenbottle Fly. Weird name for a bronze-colored fly? They come in metallic green as well.

Dioxyna picciola Tephritidae

A member of the fruit fly family, Tephritidae, not to be confused with the “fruit flies” of the laboratory.

Limoniid Crane Fly
Geranomyia sp. Limoniidae

This little Limoniid Crane Fly uses its long proboscis to suck up nectar.

Lauxaniid fly
Lauxaniidae

An unidentified species of the family, Lauxaniidae.

Pollenia sp. Calliphoridae

Cluster Flies are the most abundant species on these flowers right now. I have yet to see a cluster of these flies, but apparently they congregate in attics and the like.

Atherigona reversura Muscidae

Another fly import, the Bermudagrass Stem Maggot was first noticed in this country in Georgia in 2010 and has since spread over much of the U.S. The maggots cause a great deal of damage in pastures as they burrow into grass stems.

Anthomyiidae

An unidentified member of the Root-maggot Fly family.

???

OK, fly experts, I need help with this 2-mm fly. I don’t even know what family it belongs to.

Chloropidae

Possibly the same species as the previous one – unknown.

Scatopsidae

Last, and certainly least, this Minute Black Scavenger Fly is only 1.3 mm long and is best observed with a magnifying glass or macro lens. While the adults feed on nectar, the maggots have more unsavory tastes.

Amazing what a few flowers can bring to your garden!

P.S. In case you are counting, the 14th and 15th species of flies evaded my camera.

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A Morning at the Beeches

Beech bark is busy with bugs. In just three hours staring at the bark of a few beeches to observe the traffic, here is what I encountered.

Given that there are more species of beetles in the world than any other group of animals, it’s no surprise that I found more beetles than other insects. As you can see, beetles come in many different shapes and colors. But most adults have the characteristic line down the middle of the abdomen that separates the two stiff forewings called elytra.

Blood-colored Checkered Beetle, Zenodosus sanguineus
Click Beetle, Horistonotus curiatus
Soldier Beetle, Podabrus sp.
Hairy Spider Weevil, Barypeithes pellucidus
Asian Lady Beetle, Harmonia axyridis, larva
Spider Beetle, Ptinus
Fungus Weevil, Choragus sp.

Though ants are not as diverse as beetles, there are more individual ants on the trunk. Movement up and down the beech tree is always evident.

Eastern Black Carpenter Ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus,with caterpillar prey
Tawny Collared Ant, Aphaenogaster fulva, carrying a Long-legged Fly

Moths like this intricately-patterned geometer moth blend in beautifully with the bark. In poorer light, I might have missed this. Smaller moths can hide in little cracks, although beech trees, with their smooth bark, don’t have as many crevices as other trees.

Geometer Moth, Geometridae

Then there are the hoppers like the leafhoppers and planthoppers that form a group in the order Hemiptera. Most are smaller than your fingernail.

Coppery Leafhopper, Jikradia olitoria, nymph
Leafhopper, Rugosana querci, nymph
Cixiid Planthopper, Melanoliarus sp.

According to the Smithsonian, flies are the second most diverse order of insects in the US after beetles. My three-hour survey concurs.

Head of Stilt-legged Fly, Rainieria antennaepes
The whole Stilt-legged Fly, Rainieria antennaepes
Limoniid Crane Fly
Another species of Limoniid Crane Fly, Limonidae
Muscid Fly
Mosquito larvae (members of the fly order, Diptera) floating in water in a treehole at the base of the beech trunk

Springtails are insect relatives that are especially abundant in leaf litter. This one is more adventuresome, traveling up the trunk.

Springtail, Pogonognathellus nigritus, and a nearby mite

Isopods (sowbugs, pillbugs, rolly-pollies) mostly inhabit logs, leaf litter, and damp spaces, but some wander up the trunk.

Common Striped Woodlouse, Philoscia muscorum
Rathke’s Woodlouse, Trachelipus rathkii

Did you notice the little yellow blob that the woodlouse’s left antenna points to? I didn’t. At least not until I was posting this photo. Meet the pseudoscorpion. Look below to see it enlarged. Pseudoscorpions often hitch rides on insects. They poison their prey with venom from their pinchers, but these tiny beasts are harmless to humans.

Pseudoscorpions are arachnids along with spiders, harvestmen (daddy longlegs), and mites.

Pseudoscorpion
Metallic Crab Spider, Philodromus marxi
Tube-dwelling Spider, Ariadna bicolor
Harvestman, Opiliones
Velvet Mite, Trombidium

We’ll close with a millipede and two gastropods. Of course a few bugs got away before I could photograph them. The smooth bark of the beech makes it easy to detect critters. Are beech trees special or do all trees have this many creatures climbing on them? That’s a question to be pondered. It’s wonderful what you can see in a few hours in the woods.

Greenhouse Millipede, Oxidus gracilis
Dusky Slug, Arion sp., dangling from slime thread
Gastrodontoid snail

29 species, not bad for less than three hours on one kind of tree!

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Tranquilo Bay

A dazzling pair of Red-lored Parrots flies past the tower at Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge on Bastimentos Island in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Climbing the tower to watch dozens of parrots fly to their overnight roost was a nightly highlight for Debbie and me.

Red-lored Parrot

The tower reaches 31 m (100 feet) above sea level. When you pop through the hole in the deck of the tower you never know what you will see.

Tower overlooking bay

From the tower, the breathtaking view alone of the bay, islands and palms makes the climb worthwhile.

view from Tranquilo Bay tower

A crow-sized Montezuma Oropendola from a nearby nesting colony flies by the tower. In the distance we could see the tree hosting their three-foot long hanging nests.

Montezuma Oropendola, Psarocolius montezuma

A blue-headed Parrot, the second-most common parrot in the area, whizzes past.

Blue-headed Parrot, Pionus menstuus

An immature Double-toothed kite perches in a cecropia tree. This hawk often follows monkeys to feed on insects and small vertebrates disturbed by the commotion.

Double-toothed Kite, Harpagus bidentatus

Prothonotary Warbler was one of the most common overwintering migrants we observed (along with Tennessee Warbler). They are easier to observe here than on their breeding grounds in the eastern U.S.

Prothonotary Warbler, Protonotaria citrea

A fruiting melostome bush is a bonanza for birds. It attracts fruit-eating species like this Short-billed Pigeon as well as many colorful birds that otherwise stay high up in the canopy.

Short-billed Pigeon, Patagioenas nigrirostris

Across most of its range, the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog is bright red with blue legs. In Bocas del Toro the colors vary greatly from island to island and even within one island. These following four are all from one location. Though they have toxic skin, the actual frogs used to poison darts are three other members of this frog family from South America.

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Oophaga pumilio

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Oophaga pumilio

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Oophaga pumilio

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Oophaga pumilio

Coastal Plain Litter Frogs come in a wide variety of earthy tones. Why this crazy white stripe? I think it mimics the central vein of a dead leaf helping to camouflage the frog in leaf litter.

Coastal Plain Litter Frog, Craugastor polyptychus

The Green Climbing Toad has the unusual habit (for a toad) of climbing into bushes. Some members of this species are green, unlike typical toads.

Green Climbing Toad, Incilius coniferus

Most anoles sleep on a leaf or twig at night. This Pug-nosed Anole, strecthed out on a wooden box one night, appears to be actively waiting for prey. Our perceptive guide, Roger Morales, tells me they are sometimes active at night, as may be the case here.

Pug-nosed Anole, Anolis capito

We were very fortunate to have Roger Morales as our guide at Tranquilo Bay. Roger is a gifted naturalist with a keen eye and ear for birds and an expansive knowledge of Panama natural history.

guide Roger Morales

Roger Morales, guide at Tranquilo Bay

A Humble Anole, a ground dwelling lizard with an unpretentious demeanor, forages in its leaf-litter home.

Humble Anole, Anolis humilis

Prowling at night near the cabin, I spotted this Seagrape Spanworm moth on the underside of a leaf.

Seagrape Spanworm Moth, Ametris nitocris

This large stingless bee nest was built in the canopy in a very open location. Most stingless bee nests I have seen were at least partly concealed in hollow trees.

Stingless Bee Nest, Trigona sp.

It’s not often that you find multiple butterfly chrysalises (pupae) in one place. But, the White-tipped Cycadian has a communal lifestyle in its caterpillar and pupal stages. They are also unusual in that the caterpillars eat toxic cycad leaves.

White-tipped Cycadian, Eumaeus godartii

Tranquilo Bay is on a small island with no large predators. Consequently, sloths can sleep near the ground safely. This female has a baby hidden in its arms.

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, Bradypus variegatus

Bastimentos Island where Tranquilo Bay is located must have a huge population of Three-toed Sloths. This is one of ten we saw in just one day.

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, Bradypus variegatus

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Pipeline Road

The legendary Pipeline Road has some of the best birding in Panama. Debbie and I made three excursions there from Canopy Tower.

Rufous Motmot is common along Pipeline Road. This was one of several birds attending a swarm of army ants, Eciton burchellii. Rufous Motmots often forage at army ant swarms when the ants pass through their territory.

Rufous Motmot, Baryphthengus martii

Another participant in the grand feeding fest at the army ant swarm was this Plain-brown Woodcreeper. Though these birds often follow the ants, they can also find food away from them unlike the next bird.

Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla fuliginosa

Bicolored Antbirds are “professional” ant-followers. They get virtually all of their food by foraging at swarms of two species of army ants, Eciton burchellii and, less frequently, Labidus praedator. No ants – no bicolors.

A common misconception is that the birds eat the ants. Wrong. The birds eat insects and other small animals escaping from the ants, such as crickets, cockroaches, katydids, lizards, etc.  A recent paper suggests that ant-following birds are cleptoparasites (food pirates) working to the detriment of the ants. I am not sure I buy this. The birds have coevolved with the ants, and their presence may put pressure on potential prey to stay hidden until the last minute, which would favor the ants.

Bicolored Antbird, Gymnopithys bicolor

Bicolored Antbird, Gymnopithys bicolor

Spotted Antbirds, though not 100% dependent on army ants, get much, if not most, of their food at the swarms. Like other ant-following antbirds, they have special leg musculature that helps them perch on vertical stalks just over the swarm.

Spotted Antbird, male, Hylophylax naevioides

Spotted Antbird, female, Hylophylax naevioides

Further down the road, a female Black-throated Trogon perches patiently waiting for an insect to appear. They also eat fruit.

Black-throated Trogon, female, Trogon rufus

The brilliant red belly of a Slaty-tailed Trogon often gives the bird away in the dense tropical forest canopy and midstory.

Slaty-tailed Trogon, Trogon massena

The highly sought-after Great Jacamar can be hard to spot as it spends most of its time motionlessly waiting for a flying insect to pursue in flight.

Great Jacamar, Jacamerops aureus

While standing 32 m (104 ft) above ground in the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center’s tower near Pipeline Road, we watched a pair of Mealy Parrots feed in the tree tops. The grand views from tree-top level towers are always revealing.

A crashing sound in the trees alerts us to a troop of White-faced Capuchin Monkeys. This drenched monkey strolls down a palm leaf looking like it just took a bath. Capuchins eat a wide variety of fruits, insects, and small animals.

White-faced Capuchin, Cebus capucinus

It’s lunch time for a Red-tailed Squirrel.

Red-tailed Squirrel, Sciurus granatensis

The widespread Variegated Squirrel varies greatly in color from place to place. This is a particularly dark variety.

Variegated Squirrel, Sciurus variegatoides

Slow-moving Three-toed Sloths are abundant, but hard to spot. Often they just look like a ball of debris high in a tree. They eat leaves and have a digestive system somewhat like that of a cow.

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, Bradypus variegatus

Our amazing Canopy Tower guide, Jorge Pineda, could identify all the birds by their calls.  Spotting a Ruddy Woodcreeper, he rushes to the scope to get everyone a superb view. All our guides were incredible spotters and extremely knowledgeable about birds.

Jorge Pineda

This is a typical bridge over one of the many creeks crossing Pipeline Road. It’s always a relief when the truck makes it to the far side.

Pipeline Road bridge

The eponymous pipeline was built across the isthmus during World War II as a precaution to ensure that oil could be transported from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The pipeline was never used, but the adjoining road has given researchers and birders access into the forest. Over 450 species of birds have been recorded along the road.

the pipeline

In the next posting, we will go to Bocas del Toro in western Panama.

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Birding Near the Canal

Due to the history of the Canal Zone, much of the land around the Panama Canal was not developed into towns and cities or cultivated as farms. Consequently, forests extend right into the edge of Panama City. Panama now has three national parks as well as other protected areas close to the capital. From our base in the Canopy Tower in Soberanía National Park, we made excursions to several natural areas. Here is some of what we saw:

The brilliant Slaty-tailed Trogon is a common forest bird. It plucks fruits from trees, often while hovering, and sits for long periods waiting to dive for and grab insects. It nests in active termite nests or rotten stumps or limbs.

Slaty-tailed Trogon

male Slaty-tailed Trogon, Trogon massena

Gartered Trogons behave in much the fashion I just described for Slaty-tailed Trogon. However, they also nest in wasp nests, eating the inhabitants of the appropriated nest.

female Gartered Trogon, Trogon caligatus

Secretive Rosy-thrush Tanagers live on and near the ground in dense undergrowth in second-growth forest. This poorly-studied species is currently considered the only member in the family Rhodinocichlidae. We spotted this one in Camino de Cruzes National Park.

male Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Rhodinocichla rosea

We found this striking Rufescent Tiger-Heron at the Ammo Dump Ponds in Gamboa. In fact, it was there every time we passed by, foraging in the grassy wetland for insects, fish, snakes or other small animals.

Rufescent Tiger Heron, Tigrisoma lineatum

Parque Natural Metropolitano sits at the edge of Panama City, an unusual proximity between nature and concrete jungle. It is a popular hiking destination for city dwellers and affords panoramic views of the city from the summit of Cerro Cedro.

Panama City

Panama City viewed from Parque Natural Metropolitano on a hazy day

Yellow-crowned Tyrannulets inhabit tree tops in mature and second growth forest. This tiny flycatcher is easiest to see at forest edges like this one in Parque Natural Metropolitano in Panama City.

Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet, Tyrannulus elatus

We were fortunate to be able to visit nearby Summit Botanical Gardens in the late afternoon and to stay after closing. This afforded us the opportunity to see curious and excited children and then to enjoy peace and quiet once they left. The other mammals came out just around closing time. Maybe a correlation?

immature Homo sapiens

Agoutis are large, nearly tailless rodents, common in many forests where they are not heavily hunted. These two foraged peacefully in Summit Botanical Garden after hours.

Central American Agouti, Dasyprocta punctata

Central American Agouti

Coatis are ubiquitous in this region. This is one of many cavorting in the Summit Botanical Gardens after hours. Much like their raccoon relatives they are opportunists and will eat just about any kind of food, even garbage.

White-nosed Coati, Nasua narica

Living in the city limits of Panama City, this White-tailed Deer pays little attention to the numerous hikers in Parque Natural Metropolitano. In most tropical forests I have visited, they are very difficult to observe.

White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus

This sluggish Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth descended from the canopy in Parque Natural Metropolitano, perhaps for its weekly bathroom break. Normally, it sleeps in the canopy during the day and feeds on leaves at night. You can distinguish this species from the smaller Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth by the lack of a black mask. Don’t try to pick it up; it can slash with its two strong, front claws.

Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth, Choloepus hoffmanni

This porcupine with a prehensile tail was minding its own business when our sharp-eyed guide spotted it as we drove back up the road to the Canopy Tower. Like North American porcupines, they are well armored with sharp, barb-tipped spines.

Rothschild’s Porcupine

A heavily-laden container ship navigates northbound through the canal toward the Caribbean. We learned that the record fee for the canal passage (based on the number of containers) was $1.4 million.

container ship

Container ship plies the waters of the Panama Canal, Container shipii

Returning to the Canopy Tower each evening, we were served a beautifully-prepared dinner. I had to be quick to photograph the bread-of-the-night before someone sliced into the chef’s delicious, artistic creation.

bread

Scorpion Bread, Tityus sp.

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Canopy Tower Visit

Birding, monkeying, and butterflying from the Canopy Tower, a radar facility from the Cold War era in the tropical forest of Panama, is a unique experience. In addition to all manner of wildlife, you can see the Panama Canal and the skyline of Panama City. Debbie and I spent six nights there exploring natural areas close to the Canal.

Canopy Tower

The famous Canopy Tower

The tower was built around 1963 in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. It housed radar to be used in defense of the Panama Canal. Later it was used by the Federal Aviation Administration for air traffic control, and later still, to detect planes smuggling drugs. In 1997, Raúl Arias de Para secured a long-term lease to convert the then defunct tower into an ecotourism hotel for rainforest observation. Two year’s later the tower was open to guests and Raúl’s dream came true. More on its history and Raúl here.

Observing wildlife from the tower doesn’t require special skill. They are likely to observe you as well.

tamarin

Geoffroy’s Tamarin, a small monkey, looking into the tower.

These small monkeys, Geoffroy’s Tamarins (aka marmoset) can be seen right out your window. They feed on insects and fruit, including bananas of course.

Geoffroy’s Tamarin expresses his thoughts.

Sloths hang out in the trees within spitting distance of the observation deck atop the tower. This one is munching on the flower of a Shaving Brush Tree, Pseudobombax.

A Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, Bradypus variegatus

Curled into a ball of fur is a typical posture for sloths. When you eat mostly leaves, it takes  a long time to digest.

Note the green alga that grows in the sloths coarse hair. The alga, Trichophilus welckeri (not wechsleri), is only known to occur on sloths. It is passed from mother to offspring in their first few weeks. It may provide the sloth with camouflage and perhaps other benefits. Moths, beetles, cockroaches and fungi also share the hairy shelter.

sloth

The same sloth resting.

After dark, the night monkeys show up for bananas. These are the only nocturnal monkeys in the world.

Panamanian Night Monkeys, Aotus zonalis

I didn’t get to photograph toucans or cotingas at the tower on this visit, but here are examples from my previous visit 18 years ago. Keel-billed Toucan, the quintessential tropical bird, uses its over-sized, multicolored bill to reach for fruit, grab insects, or even handle venomous snakes.

Keeled-billed Toucan, Ramphatos sulfuratus

A Blue Cotinga sighting is one of the rewards of birding from canopy level. Cecropia trees in fruit like this one are magnets for  canopy-dwelling, fruit-eating birds.

Blue Cotinga, Continga nattererii, in cecropia tree

The female Blue Cotinga won’t dazzle your eyes, but is handsome in her own way.

blue cotinga

Female Blue Cotinga

A noisy Black-cheeked Woodpecker rattles nearby.

Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Melanerpes pucherani

On a sunny day, many species of butterflies flutter around the canopy seeking mates. This Orion Cecropian has conveniently landed on a cecropia trunk.

Orion Cecropian, Historis odius

February is well into dry season. Many trees are deciduous and have lost their leaves.

Dry season view from tower

Here is a view from the tower during wet season (taken in October).

Soberania NP; dawn fog in rainforest hills; taken from top of Canopy Tower; Panama

In the next installment, we will see wildlife observed on excursions based out of the Canopy Tower.

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A Purple? Sandpiper

I have never given much thought to the name, Purple Sandpiper. I guess I figured like the name White Oak or White Pine, it didn’t make much sense. None of the Purple Sandpipers I had photographed in the past showed any signs of purple.

Purple?

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper; Calidris maritima; NJ, Barnegat Light

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Do you see any purple in these three photos (above)?

My Sibley guide and old Peterson guide don’t mention anything about purple coloration. So, where did it get its name?

Finally, I have figured it out. Here is a recent photo that let me in on the secret.

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper close-up of feathers

Mystery solved!

When it comes to names, this is on par with Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Purple Sandpipers breed in the Canadian Arctic and winter along the Atlantic Coast on rocky shores in the North and on rock jetties farther south.

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One morning in my backyard milkweed patch

Milkweed is home to a lot more than monarch caterpillars. Here is a sampling of what I found yesterday morning in my small patch of Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, growing in a narrow strip on the side of our house.

Ant, Prenolepis imparis

 

Honey bee on milkweed flower

 

Exoskeleton of lady bug larva

Two-striped Planthopper nymph, Acalonia bivittata

flatid planthopper nymph

cricket

Brown-belted Bumblebee, Bombus griseocollis

mites on Brown-belted Bumble Bee

Large Milkweed Bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus

Blow Fly, Calliphoridae

Long-legged Fly, Condystylus sp.

Tumbling Flower Beetle, Mordellidae

Though it looks like its head is falling off, this is a healthy individual.

Lauxaniid fly, Homoneura sp.

Leafhopper nymph, Jikradia olitoria

Unidentified plastered object; any ideas?

Acrobat ant, Crematogaster

Planting native plants brings a great diversity of wildlife to your garden. It helps to look closely to appreciate the wealth.

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Estación Biológica La Selva

Lowland Primary Tropical Forest

Lowland Primary Tropical Forest

Field workearlier this year at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica was a wonderful experience. Though I went to photograph army ants, I thought I would highlight a few of the other wonders of the forest first. La Selva has beautiful primary forest and secondary forest all crawling with life.

The staff there were extremely helpful. I am especially indebted to Greivin Salazar who assisted me in the field.

Greivin Salazar and Terminalia

La Selva is a great place to see a wide variety of tropical forest mammals. Many are quite approachable. The collared peccaries are the most conspicuous. Though they seem to be oblivious to people here, you don’t want to insult them. Check out the tusks.

Collared Peccary

Collared Peccary dental check

The peccaries are practically lawn ornaments, always in view and easy to approach on the lawn near the lab, but also easy to observe in the forest.They’re happy to lie around and groom right off the path.

Collared Peccaries

Grooming Collared Peccaries

There is plenty of nightlife at La Selva. I got an eye-level view of this mouse opossum – not much bigger that a typical mouse. They eat insects.

Mexican Mouse Opossum

Mexican Mouse Opossum, Marmosa mexicana

Howler monkeys roar every morning, at the start of a heavy rain and whenever else the mood strikes. They sometimes cross the big suspension foot bridge over the Río Puerto Viejo that connects the headquarters with the rest of the station.

Mantled Howler Monkey on bridge

Mantled Howler Monkey on bridge

Spider Monkeys can also create quite a racket though nowhere near the volume of the howlers. This one was one of a group complaining loudly about our presence.

Central American Spider

Central American Spider Monkey, Atleles geoffroyi

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Tapichalaca Cloud Forest

At 2,500 m (8,200 ft) the cloud forest at Tapichalaca Reserve of the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation may take your breath away (in more than one sense). As the clouds drift in and out of the forest, you’re presented with an ever-changing landscape.

cloud forest slope

The silver-leaved cecropia trees are a distinct feature of the subtropical zone of the mountains. Tree ferns below the cecropia add an exotic touch.Cecropia in cloud forest

Students from the nearby town of Palanda enjoying the forest.students from Palanda

Resembling a Dr Seuss drawing, this tree appears to have a greater mass of epiphytes (plants living on other plants without harming their host) than leaves.

A botany class, led by Dr. David A. Neill of the Universidad Estatal Amazónica, spent 2 ½ rain-soaked days in Tapichalaca and, amazingly, discovered four new species of trees in the Araliaceae. That gives you an idea of how much has yet to be discovered in the cloud forest.

Ecuador, Prov. Zamora-Chinchipe, Tapichalaca Reserve

The sangre de drago tree produces a red sap with a variety of medicinal uses, including healing wounds. It is an important food source for the Golden-plumed Parakeet.

sangre de drago in cloud forest

Croton sp., Ecuador, Prov. Zamora-Chinchipe, Tapichalaca Reserve

The cloud forest harbors many distinctive birds, including the Bearded Guan. Tapichalaca is one of best places to observe this species.

Bearded Guan

Penelope barbata, Ecuador, Prov. Zamora-Chinchipe, Tapichalaca Reserve

Chusquea bamboo is a common (native) understory plant.

cloud forest tree

Ecuador, Prov. Zamora-Chinchipe, Tapichalaca Reserve

Wax palms stand out as a characteristic tree of the cloud forest. When they die, the dead trunks are crucial nesting habitat for parakeets and other cavity-nesting birds.wax palm in cloud forest

Clouds settle in over the towns of Valladolid and Palanda below Tapichalaca Reserve.

Cerro Tapichalaca flank

 

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