It’s too wet in the premontane wet forest for a cactus, so what’s a cactus to do? Climb a tree!  Here’s an epiphytic cactus – I don’t have a more specific identification than that, other than ‘cool epiphytic cactus’.

While visiting Las Alturas Biological Station and the adjacent forest in La Amistad Biosphere Preserve (an international conservation area in the Talamanca mountain range), we came across some Cedrela, a genus in the Mahogany family.  These trees are valued as timber and are absolutely stunning.  The preserve protects about a half million hectares of primary forest, and it was a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a little mountain of it.

This tree is endemic to Costa Rica according to the station director at Las Cruces, and my best guess at the identification was Cedrela tonduzii, which may be found elsewhere and is found in higher elevational regions (like La Amistad). I’m certainly not a skilled enough photographer to capture the tree’s beauty, so I’d encourage everyone to visit a primary, premontane wet forest and observe one of their own…