Nature is Amazing

Ant going to town on butterfly larva

Living and working in the tropics is a real treat. It never seems to amaze me of learning new things that just put you in a position to think "Good Gosh, Nature is amazing...". When doing a tour one of the first things as a nature tour guide in the tropics is to let people know that that tropics is a war-zone of different animals and species of plants all fighting for energy from the sun and other sources of energy in and around the rainforest.

Butterflies, Ants, & Plants

A butterfly lays it's eggs on plants and then when the larva hatches from the eggs it starts to feed off the plant that it's egg was sitting on. It is sort of like giving birth to a baby in an all you can eat buffet and the baby just staying at the buffet eating and eating. They say that pretty much is what butterfly larva is "Eating Machines".

Ants in many parts of the rainforest have a symbiotic relationship with plants. What does the word symbiotic mean? Symbiotic is a close relationship between two species of benefit or dependence. In the rainforest the relationship between the ant and plant in many cases is symbiotic. The ant feeds on the plant at extra-floral nectaries which are basically sugar that the plant is producing for the ant. It is in the best interest of the ant to protect the plant because the plant is the food source for the ant.  In return the ant protects the plant from predators. This is where the plant and butterfly larva come to meet each other.

If a butterfly lays its eggs on a plant that has this symbiotic relationship with an ant species than you can expect the ants to destroy the eggs before the larva has the chance to hatch and start eating the plant would could cause the plant to die. There are many plants in the rainforest with symbiotic relationships with ants. So what can the butterfly do so it does not have it's eggs eaten by ants?

Well the butterfly has had to adapt to laying it's eggs on the tips of leaves where the ants do not visit. When the eggs are place here they are less likey to be discovered and disposed of by the ants. The butterfly also in recent studies has developed a smell that it releases from it's abdomen that tricks the ants into thinking it is really ant larva. Nature just keeps going and keeps adapting to whatever it might be.

Now that is some interesting stuff how nature just continues to adapt to it's surroundings.

Interesing in seeing and learning about Nature in the Tropics?

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What is a Bromeliad?

Hanging Bridges in the cloud-forest

If you have been on a  Costa Rica Adventure or you plan on coming chances are you will see many more Bromeliads than you do monkeys. Although chances are you will see quite a few monkeys also so don't worry I know they are a bit more exciting than a bromeliad. But one way to make a bromeliad very exciting to see is to LEARN something about it! So that is today's topic the bromeliad.

A bromeliad is actually a member of the pineapple family. The pineapple is one of the few bromeliads that grows on the ground. Most bromeliads grow up in the trees (which makes these type of bromeliads "epiphytes"). One of the most interesting things about bromeliads is that for some just one bromeliad is like a small little planet.

A bromeliad is crown-shaped which allows it to hold gallons of water just one small plant about the size of a large house plant. This water along with debris forms a home for many different insects and probably most interesting to us frogs such as the poisonous dart frog tadpoles. The plant itself feeds off the different types of debri and ecosystem that is formed by the instects allowing the plant to stay alive and in exchange be a host for many different creatures. This also means the plant is not parasytic which means it does not rely on the larger tree it is attached to for survival.  It is sort of like our planet how the larger trees send off oxigen and the Earth survives. Or on the contrary like us humans who pump CO2 into the atmosphere and the Earth struggles for survival. (Although our human CO2 production is very small to what the forest and oceans produce it throws off the natural cycle.. read more) Just another reason why we should follow natures examples.

Bromeliad

A very strong fiber can be extracted from the bromeliad. This fiber is known as cabuya and has been used to make rope, baskets, and even hammocks. Another interesting use of the leaf of the bromeliad is for medicinal use. Many natives from areas where you find bromeliads have taken the leaves and pounded them with salt to use on wounds.

You will find bromeliads all over Costa Rica and some of the most spectacular places to see the bromeliads are the cloud-forest areas.

Scientific Name: Bromeliaceae

Costa Rica's Experts in Nature

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