Keep in mind that I had the guide during the Butterflies tour and insect museum speaking to me in Spanish (my choice.) After the tours, my brain was WORN out. So many new words in Spanish about life cycles and eating patterns.
(ps tried to upload 3 other pics of the butterflies but my computer has a cold at the moment, maybe tomorrow!)
The larva of a Blue Morpho butterfly
The butterfly garden was incredible. Costa Rica houses over 400 butterflies. This garden doesn't have that many but they do tell you about the life cycle and show you every step of the process. I witnessed many laying eggs, saw a male Blue Morpho do a mating dance around a female. Watched the larva of monarchs eat away at leaves and was amazed by every color represented on a butterfly. Most of them are camouflaged on the underside and have amazing colors on the topside.
Looking down 50 meters into a ravine, the fern was atleast 3-4 meters across
I almost fell over when I spotted this....Kat and Mary, thought you would enjoy!!
Love love love this!
Welcome to the jungle!
The jungle was beautiful.....so many species. To say that I walked with over 10,000 species would be an understatement. The flowers, trees, plants and life in the jungle are beautiful and mysterious. There were about 12 suspended bridges in all and the hike was just under 2 miles. Along the way I made friends with two workers, used my broken Spanish to chat with them for a few minutes, one told me his name was Pocahontas. I think they were just playing with me!
What you see in the jungle when you look up
At canopy level....loving it!
Typical site
Heliconia flowers
I wandered around the jungle via suspended bridges. The bridges offer great views and also another prospective, instead of hiking and always looking up, you have to look down. The ferns that grow here are HUGE, spreading meters across the canopy. Also, remember that Costa Rica has the Jesus Christ Lizard (named because it can run across water)....that lizard was filmed in Jurassic Park. P.S. that movie was filmed here in Costa Rica.
"yeaaaa, so wonder what way I'm supposed to go in the jungle" ....should I have gotten a guide?
Took my time playing with the hummingbirds. The put up 6 feeder systems where hundreds of hummingbirds raid every minute. I stood within inches of many species of hummingbirds for 30 minutes. Their wings could propel a jet engine. They move so fast but are so precise when sticking their small SMALL beak inside the feeder for nectar. In Monteverde, there are about 30 species of Hummingbirds.
Spanish lessons in the morning......again.........always!
Have I said that I'm obsessed with Mangos?
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