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After I finished playing with the crabs, I headed back to La Cruz and back down the highway. I had decided that I would check out the Santa Rosa National Park since it was only about 25 miles south. I was vaguely familiar with this park from Daniel Janzen's work here. The entrance is on the highway and the road is paved to the research station and campground facilities. |
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Phrynohyla venulosa |
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My first stop was along a stream only a few miles from the Park's entrance. I walked along a trail that paralleled the stream and encountered this large cryptic tree frog backed tightly into a knothole. I prodded it out for some better photos—shared here. After I was done, I explored a bit more but was being eaten by mosquitoes. As I passed back by the tree, I saw the frog had found a new shelter and that an anole was snooping around the base of the tree across the path. |
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Operations reminded me of the Southwest Research Station in Portal, Arizona, since there were a number of large tents occupied by a university class, researcher housing and a mess hall. The Park's administrative areas and a historical museum were here as well. From here, there were a couple of dirt roads heading out to the coast. Although I would have enjoyed a look at the estuary, I chose to go to Playa Naranjo since its road was in better shape. |
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About four kilometers down the road a sign pointed out a trail leading to a scenic vista. I strolled the 500 meters to the vista, Mirador Valle Naranjo. It afforded a good view of Peña Bruja (Witch's Rock) and I looked forward to getting to the coast. Along the trail I found a few interesting creatures to photograph and confirmed an observation Randy Morgan had made in Honduras many years ago—that as soon as a bull thorn acacia seedling has its first spine, it is immediately colonized by an queen ant (Psuedomyrmex). I looked at four seedlings, each with a single spine. Three of these had ants in residence. |
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bull-thorn acacia |
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I proceeded down the dirt road, grateful for the high ground clearance. When I got to the Rio Poza Salada, I chickened out on just cruising across the small river. I had passed a larger vehicle that had obviously come through here but in a rented vehicle, I wanted to be sure I would not end up sucking water into the engine. I figured I would just wait for the water to clear enough to see the bottom. On either side of the vehicle were plenty of insects to occupy me for thirty minutes. |
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The first thing that had caught my eye was a group of Eumorpha (Sphingidae) larvae. In this genus of sphinx moth, the third instar larvae lose their caudal horn. Mature larvae use a surprise-type of defense— expanding their thoracic segments and waving their body around as if a snake's head. The last instar larvae are colored differently than earlier stages. |
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