This collection of photos was gathered during my time abroad in Summer '22.
My time in Costa Rica was an internship through the University of Missouri's School of Journalism. During my three-month stay, our small group of undergrad students were still hard at work - only partially on vacation. When not producing a print newspaper for Las Noticias Monteverde, I was able to explore different parts of the country and photograph the plants and animals I saw along the way. Costa Rica is one of the most densely biodiverse areas on the planet, so my photos are nowhere near a full collection but still a breathtaking gallery. Hope you enjoy!
A yellow-bellied flycatcher perches on a tree branch. They often wait for insects to fly by, flying out to snatch them or plucking them from vegetation. Their diet consists of crane flies, flying ants, beetles, caterpillars, mosquitoes, midges, stoneflies, and spiders; occasionally, they eat fruit - including poison ivy.
A Mourning Dove comes down to the forest floor. These birds are a highly adaptable species and can live in many differing habitats. Their estimated global population is about 400 million, with half of them living in the US alone. While many of them are known to stay close to their breeding grounds, some of these doves migrate to Central America in the summers.
A male Violet Sabrewing hummingbird flaps its wings, at up to 70 times per second! Their plumage often appears as black until it catches the light, revealing beautiful purples and blues.Their wings make a loud buzzing or “sabre” sound in flight, which gives them their “sabrewing” name.
This leaf was stripped to its bare bones by hungry insects and covered in fresh dew.
Bird feeders at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve are home to multiple species of hummingbirds. The birds' high metabolism makes it so they have to eat all day, about every 10-15 minutes. While these residents at the Cloud Forest Reserve have a constant food supply, others in the wild visit 1,000-2,000 flowers per day! They consume half of their body weight in nectar and small insects, like beetles, ants, gnats, mosquitos and sometimes even wasps.
A female Violet Sabrewing stretches it wings on a tree branch. Their name comes from this iconic coloring of the male hummingbirds, while females have more green in their plumage.This species is known for its slightly curved bill, a unique adaptation for accessing nectar from curved flowers. They are known for being territorial and bold, using their special ability to maneuver through the air and flashy colors to defend their territory.
The Pacaya Palm (Palmito dulce) is native to Costa Rica. The immature flowers, resembling an ear of corn in size and appearance. The word 'tepejilote' means "mountain maize" referring to just the edibles flowers, while pacaya refers to the plant and flowers. While this part of the plant in edible, it has a somewhat bitter taste. It is often eaten in salad or breaded and deep fried.
A sloth climbs across a beam at the sloth sanctuary at Selvatura Park, in Monteverde, Costa Rica. They house 19 females who are unable to return to the wild. Males are hard to keep in this space because of their territorial nature. They often come down from the canopy to feed once a week. Because they have four stomachs, their bodies spend so much time digesting their diet of leaves.
Even on just this small stump in the Children's Eternal Rainforest, there are a multitude of ferns, moss and plants growing in one shared space. The country only takes up 0.03 percent of Earth's surface, but accounts for 6 percent of the world's biodiversity. The cloud forest has a perfect environment supplying enough moisture and space to accommodate a large amount of species.
Two tadpoles swim in a small puddle atop a lily pad leaf in a pond at Valle Escondido, in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
A Tropical Kingbird sits curiously atop a small pipe. These beautiful little birds are a part of the perching birds (tyrant flycatchers) group. This classification of birds is unique for the layout of their toes!! They have three pointing forward and one backward, perfect for perching.
