Day 9: Monteverde Cloud Forest
Highlight of the Day:
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After breakfast, we visited a bug farm, advertised as a “butterfly farm” because butterflies are so much more beautiful then spiders or beetles. The guide, a young American, was very enthusiastic, taking all the insects out of their terrarium. First, he held two tarantulas who – against common beliefs – are not really dangerous to people. Tarantulas live in ground holes, sitting at the entrance during the night, ready to catch their prey. Next, he put about 5 large tropical cockroaches on his palm, shirt and head, while explaining how useful these animals are. Cockroaches are responsible for decomposing ca. 20% of forest debris.
Next came beetles, praying mantas (the females bite off the head of their partners while or after mating) and walking sticks. Then, we moved to the butterflies. The farm has four butterfly gardens, each representing a certain geographical area of Costa Rica. The guides search the gardens for eggs once a week to collect them: if the caterpillars would hatch in the garden, all plants would be eaten within a very short time. This way the caterpillars are fed separately. Once the pupa develops, it is hang hung up in a special box until the butterfly hatches. We could observe the various stages of Monarch pupas (or crysalises), chrysalises who change from green to a more translucent color, until in the later stages parts of the butterfly such as the legs or pattern of the wings appear. Once the metamorphosis is completed, the butterflies are put into small buckets. Each of us received such a bucket to release the butterfly in his respective butterfly garden.
Garden # 4 represented the Costa Rica highlands and was home to Monarchs and Common Morphos. I could have stayed in this garden the whole day observing the fluttering morphos with their amazingly shining wings.
In the next garden we observed the Magnificent Owl, the largest butterfly worldwide.
Alexandra released her hatchling, which seemed to be attracted to her… After a while two large owls were sitting on her shirt, cap and even neck.
Garden # 3: smaller butterflies, the black yellow stripe one NAME
Garden # 4: understory butterflies such as the translucent butterfly NAME
Before lunch we stopped at a coffee shop and Coop of Woman who sell art products.
Lunch was served at the pizzeria, a fun place. I tried Costa Rican beer and liked it.
After lunch, we entered the Monteverde Rain Forest in search for the Resplendent Quetzal.
Bathed in cool, year-round moisture, the Monteverde forests are covered with lichen, moss and 300 species of orchid. Our group was very lucky as our guide, Gaston, spotted first a smaller female and later a male of the elusive Resplendent Quetzal. We were able to follow this colorful and impressive, most beautiful bird with the scope as he retreated further and further away.
The other group saw a wasp that poisoned a tarantula and dragged it to the side of the trail to lay her eggs in it. The maggots then eat the still alive tarantula.
Dinner followed at the hotel.
More information
Daily Expedition Reports are only provided onboard.