Tag Archives: Palo Verde
The Palo Verde Welcomes Me
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Eichhornia scraping
What could be damaging Eichhronia leaves like this? Is there a snail that might make this kind of pattern?
Echinodorus herbivory
In addition to a large caterpillar, there are ants foraging on Echinodorus paniculatus flowers. Are the ants stealing pollen or nectar?
Neptunia mats
The Neptunia has already started to flower and has formed dense, floating, mats throughout the wetland.
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Preparing to decompose
Made it
| Back in Palo Verde, my fence has held up fairly well and the wetland has filled. Only one fence post as rotted and broke, although it’s a corner post and somewhat important in maintaining the fences structure… When I examined the breaking point of the post, I was bitten by a Belastomatid in the finger, which is still numb from the digestive enzymes that it secreted as it bit. |  |
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Cruisin’ ostracod
| I’ve collected a bunch of these gigantic ostracods which cruise around, perhaps preying on grazing cladocerans. |  |
Headed back
I’m returned to Costa Rica today…
Snake predation
In Palo Verde, a student noticed this Leptophis mexicanus preying on a tree frog (I think it’s Smilisca baudinii). This is the second time I was able to observe a Leptophis attack a frog, although this occasion was quite different, given that the snake had captured the frog by the hind legs; the frog made distress calls and the snake had some difficulty dragging and controling its prey.
Additionally, I’ve been feeding frozen rats to the two corn snakes I’ve recently inherited. Below is 1 (that’s its name) gulping down a rat.
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