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The central valley of Costa Rica is near the end of its dry season. As such, bugwatching is limited in this area but will improve greatly in about a month when the rains begin. Downhill from the Butterfly Farm is an area that was formerly a horse pasture, now being allowed to return to its natural vegetation. In a brief stroll through the area, the first arthropod encountered was an amblypygid or tailless whip scorpion. I am uncertain of the species but it seemed noteworthy that one of the first things encountered is a species closely allied with SASI’s logo. Two more were encountered on the walk, hiding beneath scrap lumber.
Another common inhabitant (and pest depending on your point of view) of this area is Nasutitermes. This termite builds large carton nests in trees, or in this case, the corner of an out-building. The nest is made of chewed wood fiber and fecal "glue." When I poked a hole into the nest, termites immediately swarmed out to defend the colony and to begin repairs to the nest. Note the "nozzle headed" soldiers that spray out a strong smelling sticky compound to repel intruders.
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My stay in Costa Rica has two goals. One is to collect, and to establish in captivity, non-butterfly species which lend themselves to being displayed and interpreted at the Butterfly Farm. While butterflies are an insect which captures everyone’s imagination, there are countless other species which have a story to tell. High on our list is to set up a leaf-cutter ant colony. Atta cephalotes is the most common in this region although there are also a couple of Acromyrmex as well.
The other goal is to work with the local breeders, teaching them about other species occurring in their area. CRES works with more than 100 families who grow butterflies as their livelihood. These families, like the Costa Rican government, are aware of the country’s incredible biodiversity and how important it is to preserve it for future generations. The farming of butterflies for export provides income while saving natural habitat from more destructive practices like cattle ranching or timbering.
I am fortunate and grateful to have been invited to this jewel in Central America. During my stay, I will be travelling to various locations where I will stay in the homes of butterfly breeders. From them I hope to learn much about the natural history of the area. And, I will teach them what I know about insects and other arthropods. Though I have little experience with species outside the Sonoran Desert, I will share my knowledge of husbandry techniques that can be applied to many groups of insects. Joris tells me that the breeders are as excited by my visit as I am, and we all look forward to intellectual exchange. I also look forward to melting away the rust that encrusts my Spanish.
Watch these pages for updates and images of my experience. Thanks to the new technologies that provide an instantaneous link to home, I can keep SASI members abreast of my activities. All photos from Costa Rica are taken with a Nikon 990 digital camera and manipulated in Adobe ImageReady for size, contrast and sharpness. These, plus accompanying text, are e-mailed to Michael Mayer who builds the site using Adobe GoLive. Emily Francis and Sid Schwartz provide him assistance if needed. I appreciate their monumental efforts on many fronts while I am gone and hope that you enjoy and learn from my experience as I do.
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