First night in La Selva
(La Selva) Today we woke up early in San José and took a bus to La Selva Biological Station, where we will be spending most of our time. (Side note: You know you’re on a bus full of taxonomists when you hear the question “So, are you a lumper or a splitter?” as small talk!) Today, I saw for the first time in the wild: Green Honeycreepers, Poison dart frogs (Oophaga pumilio or granulifera), Fer De Lance, Howler Monkeys (my first non-human primate!), and probably my favorite- a very large male Euglossine orchid bee, just lying dead on the forest floor! It was about an inch long and beautiful metallic green. The orchids are also plentiful: I have seen quite a few Maxillaria– and Sobralia-like species.
The day ended with a session of light trapping of some sort, where we hang a sheet with lights next to it, and check out the critters that come in. It is an absolutely indescribable, glorious experience, which I hope to repeat every night here. I’ll talk more about that some other time.