Every time I walk out on a La Selva trail or go on a river boat on the Puerto Viejo River I see something interesting.  So much that I have gotten into the habit of always carrying a camera with me, even when I'm walking from my office to the Dining Hall.  You never know what will cross your path at any time. Here are a couple of particularly wonderful encounters this month.

Helicopter damselfly

Helicopter damselfly.  One of the most beautiful sightings in the forest is the soft beats of a giant damselfly.  Megaloprepus caerulatus is one of the largest damselflies in the world, and they are spectacular fliers.  They can hover in front of a spider web, dive in and snap the abdomen of the spider for a yummy lunch.  The males also protect territories in the forest, hovering, flying and chasing each other.  This specimen was filmed in slow motion to showcase its extraordinary flying abilities.  

- Wasp Moth.  On occasion one runs into a spectacular insect in an unlikely place.  This wasp moth, Cosmosoma sp., of the family Arctiidae, was in the Dining Hall while we were having lunch.  Their name comes from their resemblance to some colorful wasps.  Notice the transparent wings and the intense red coloring on the abdomen.  

 

Cayman

Caymen with butterfly and bee. Along the shores of the Puerto Viejo and the Sarapiquí Rivers it is common to encounter sunning caimans and crocodiles.  What is unusual is to see them interacting with other wildlife.  This butterfly (a Julia butterfly, Drya iulia, of the family Nymphalidae) and a solitary bee (possible Centris sp., Anthophoridae) were seen drinking the salty "tears" of the caiman.Salt (sodium) in liquid form is hard to find in nature and caimans and turtles offer this essential mineral to a few species.

Fifteen years ago, more than one hundred biologists and local residents of Monteverde, Costa Rica joined together to document everything known about its biology and agroecology. The result was Monteverde: Ecology and Conservation of a Tropical Cloud Forest, published by Oxford University Press in 2000 and widely used by OTS courses, researchers, natural history guides, decision-makers, and ecotourists.

Now the book's co-editors, Nat Wheelwright (OTS 78-3) and Nalini Nadkarni (OTS 79-3), plan to translate the book into Spanish and make it available free online to anyone in Latin America who has an interest in understanding and protecting tropical cloud forests. To cover the costs of the translation, they are launching a grassroots Kickstarter campaign and welcome donations of any amount.  

For more information, please click here.

Florida International University's Department of Biological Sciences (biology.fiu.edu), within the School of Environment, Arts and Society (SEAS; environment.fiu.edu) is conducting an open-rank search for an outstanding plant biologist to take a leadership role in the new International Center for Tropical Botany (ICTB). The ICTB, a collaborative project with the National Tropical Botanical Garden, will have offices and research facilities at both the University's main campus and the National Tropical Botanical Garden's Kampong garden. The ICTB builds on the existing strengths of both FIU and NTBG in tropical biology, conservation, agroecology, and botany. The ICTB will focus on research and education on tropical plant diversity, ethnobotany, natural plant products, sustainable agriculture, and conservation.  The successful candidate will have research experience relevant to one or more of these areas. The candidate will be expected to teach courses related to his or her field of expertise at the undergraduate and graduate levels and to maintain a rigorous, externally-funded, internationally-recognized research program to strengthen the ICTB's programs and mission. Candidates should have experience working across disciplines and developing local, national and international research partnerships. 

Qualified candidates are encouraged to attach a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a summary of research interests and teaching goals in a single pdf file. In addition, applicants should arrange for three letters of reference to be sent directly to Eric Bishop-von Wettberg at ebishopv@fiu.edu. To receive full consideration, applications and required materials should be received by February 1, 2014. Applications must be submitted on-line at careers.fiu.edu.  When applying please reference Job Opening ID: 506980. Review will continue until position is filled.