I started a new photoblog today:
tewellman2.blogspot.com
New pics are there, check out the "Oregon Coast" album to see what I was up to yesterday!
Photo Hunt!
Dad and I roamed around Portland today to find some good shots. We visited the Portland Saturday Market, International Rose Test Garden, and Japanese Garden. Here are my best pictures, although Dad got some great ones as well:
Time with Family
We drove over to Richland this last weekend, our best opportunity to spend time with the Swishers before responsibilities take over. Kiana is getting big! We played Mexican train, ate cookies, and shared photos. What a great time!
And, being a casual photographer, I couldn't help but show off my two very similar widescreen shots:
And, being a casual photographer, I couldn't help but show off my two very similar widescreen shots:
Belize Arthropods
Arachnids
Brachypelma vagans - Red-rumped tarantula. We all took turns holding this large, gentle spider that was caught roaming across the grass in Bermudian Landing. We were very sad to discover that only half an hour later it was killed by a lawnmower!
Centruroides gracilis - Brown bark scorpion. This little one was scurrying across the bathroom with a dead cockroach, but earlier I had found one crawling halfway up to my knee while I was drying off in the shower! They were everywhere at Las Cuevas.
Brachypelma vagans - Red-rumped tarantula. We all took turns holding this large, gentle spider that was caught roaming across the grass in Bermudian Landing. We were very sad to discover that only half an hour later it was killed by a lawnmower!
Centruroides gracilis - Brown bark scorpion. This little one was scurrying across the bathroom with a dead cockroach, but earlier I had found one crawling halfway up to my knee while I was drying off in the shower! They were everywhere at Las Cuevas.Insects
Tropidacris collaris - fairly common at Cockscomb, these huge grasshoppers have bright pink wings and appear to be a bird when seen in flight. One pooped while it was hanging out on my shoulder- I wouldn't have thought an insect could poop the size of a kidney bean. Everyone insisted on taking a round of pictures before they helped me wipe it off.
Tropidacris cristata - The funniest moment of the entire trip was at Saint Margaret's when this giant lubber grasshopper jumped and latched on to Jeff's lips! He was terrified but couldn't cry out- just hop up and down silently while trying to pry it off.
Pelidnota virescens - Golden jewel scarab, Las Cuevas. A beautiful and surprising by-catch of our moth light.
Megasoma actaeon - Rhinoceros scarab, Las Cuevas. This is the largest insect I found in Belize- the size of a computer mouse! Unfortunately it was a female, so it didn't have the huge horn-like projection which gives this species its common name- but the girls screamed at it anyway.
Tropidacris collaris - fairly common at Cockscomb, these huge grasshoppers have bright pink wings and appear to be a bird when seen in flight. One pooped while it was hanging out on my shoulder- I wouldn't have thought an insect could poop the size of a kidney bean. Everyone insisted on taking a round of pictures before they helped me wipe it off.
Tropidacris cristata - The funniest moment of the entire trip was at Saint Margaret's when this giant lubber grasshopper jumped and latched on to Jeff's lips! He was terrified but couldn't cry out- just hop up and down silently while trying to pry it off.
Pelidnota virescens - Golden jewel scarab, Las Cuevas. A beautiful and surprising by-catch of our moth light.
Megasoma actaeon - Rhinoceros scarab, Las Cuevas. This is the largest insect I found in Belize- the size of a computer mouse! Unfortunately it was a female, so it didn't have the huge horn-like projection which gives this species its common name- but the girls screamed at it anyway.The Ancient Maya
We visited two major archaeological sites- Tikal in Guatemala and Caracol in Belize. It's interesting that these two former capitals were at war so long ago, and now exist across the border between two nations still at odds. Our instructor's favorite question when we spoke about the Maya was: "Which Maya are you talking about?" It's easy to lump them together, but they are in fact several different people groups with their own languages and cultures. The three groups that exist in Belize today are the Qui'che, Mopan, and Yucatecan Maya. Some or none of these groups may be related to the Manche Chol- the original Mayan inhabitants of the area.
Tikal: July 5
Temple 1 (Ah Cacao) was our first spectacle, built in 695 to begin the Plaza Mayor. It is shown here with Montezuma Oropendola weaverbird nests.
Staircase on the backside of a building complex
Maya rainfrog - the only as of yet unidentified amphibian from my trip. My scientific resources for Guatemala are limited.
Here is the rarest bird we would see all trip- a Blue-Crowned Motmot (Momotus momota). Walking around on top of temples puts you right at canopy level, and provides an opportunity to view species you normally wouldn't get to see up close- including spider monkeys. Our instructor Colin was super excited to see this bird- and made sure we all were as well! It has beautiful blues and greens as well as tailfeathers adorned with special tips.
The view from atop Temple 4 was spectacular- Temples 1 & 2 can be seen opposing one another at the Plaza Mayor, and you may recognize this from a few scenes in Star Wars. This is the tallest structure at Tikal, at a towering 230 feet.
Caracol: July 12
It might not look like it- but Caana (Sky Place) is still the tallest man-made structure in Belize at 143 feet. The highest terrace can just be seen in this picture.
South Acropolis
Here I am with a view back down the main pyramid- it was quite a climb as the stairs are each about 2 feet tall. This beautiful lavender flower was also growing near the top.
Tikal: July 5
Temple 1 (Ah Cacao) was our first spectacle, built in 695 to begin the Plaza Mayor. It is shown here with Montezuma Oropendola weaverbird nests.
Staircase on the backside of a building complex
Maya rainfrog - the only as of yet unidentified amphibian from my trip. My scientific resources for Guatemala are limited.
Here is the rarest bird we would see all trip- a Blue-Crowned Motmot (Momotus momota). Walking around on top of temples puts you right at canopy level, and provides an opportunity to view species you normally wouldn't get to see up close- including spider monkeys. Our instructor Colin was super excited to see this bird- and made sure we all were as well! It has beautiful blues and greens as well as tailfeathers adorned with special tips.
Temple 5 was our last stop; the stairladder to the top was very high and steep. We were certainly careful, as falling off has proved to be lethal. The ceremonial room is very apparent on this temple; it was blocked off by a chain-link fence.
The view from atop Temple 4 was spectacular- Temples 1 & 2 can be seen opposing one another at the Plaza Mayor, and you may recognize this from a few scenes in Star Wars. This is the tallest structure at Tikal, at a towering 230 feet. Caracol: July 12
It might not look like it- but Caana (Sky Place) is still the tallest man-made structure in Belize at 143 feet. The highest terrace can just be seen in this picture.
South Acropolis
Here I am with a view back down the main pyramid- it was quite a climb as the stairs are each about 2 feet tall. This beautiful lavender flower was also growing near the top.
Top 10 List (part 1)
I wanted to make Belize a challenge in many ways- to challenge my luck and wildlife hunting skills I created an ambitious top ten list before I left. I wasn't able to get a photograph of each animal, but I'm proud to claim an experience of all 10!
10. Bottlenose dolphin- this one made me nervous. I only had a few chances out on a boat, and it came down to the last day we were in Belize. I saw a pod porpoising a few hundred meters east of our boat, and only for a few moments... but I completed the top ten with a buzzer-beater!
9. Boa constrictor- holding one in the zoo was neat... but the real fun came when we trekked around the shores of West Snake Caye like islanders, climbing over red mangrove roots in search of Constrictor constrictor. We found 4 of these beautiful snakes hiding up in the tree branches. Isolation has produced a new subspecies on these islands with unique color variations- they hunt by hanging down and snatching up unsuspecting birds that fly past!
10. Bottlenose dolphin- this one made me nervous. I only had a few chances out on a boat, and it came down to the last day we were in Belize. I saw a pod porpoising a few hundred meters east of our boat, and only for a few moments... but I completed the top ten with a buzzer-beater!
9. Boa constrictor- holding one in the zoo was neat... but the real fun came when we trekked around the shores of West Snake Caye like islanders, climbing over red mangrove roots in search of Constrictor constrictor. We found 4 of these beautiful snakes hiding up in the tree branches. Isolation has produced a new subspecies on these islands with unique color variations- they hunt by hanging down and snatching up unsuspecting birds that fly past!
Belize Lepidopterans
Six weeks in Central America are over! It will be hard to fully describe such a long trip to anyone so I'll just jump right in with some collections.
Butterflies & Moths
Pseudosphinx tetrio - Hawk moth. This one was about 7 inches long, with yellow stripes hidden on its abdomen- the "747 of the insect world" as Larry put it.
Caligo memnon - Owl butterfly. This one was slowly flapping its wings for several minutes- I got to capture the pretty steel blue color of the interior as well as the striking eyespot patterns on the outside.
Heliconius charitonius - Zebra longwing
Adhaemarius gannascus
Heraclides thoas - King swallowtail. I found this under a leaf on a night hike- what a rare find to see a diurnal species' nocturnal hiding spot!
Hawk moth caterpillar on Guy's thumb. The ridges of his fingerprint and on the caterpillar form an interesting contrast when viewed up close.
Fulgora laternaria - Peanut-headed moth, or Alligator bug (check out the teeth pattern on the head). It's not actually a moth, but a "true bug" of the Hemiptera order. Quite a shock when you first see one- then again when it jumps off of your neck- and again when it flashes open its eyespots!
I wish I could identify these last two moths. They were both very large (about 6-7 inch wingspan) with exquisite colors and patterns. The one resting on wood was my favorite- it had a lot of energy and photographing it was a chore- but the huge red eyes, bee stripes, marbelization, and subtle blue streaks are quite beautiful. The light blue eyespots and perpendicular tailfins of the other moth are also pretty cool.
*Edit: I've managed to narrow down a genus for the second moth: Nothus sp. However, no one really knows anything about this insect. I'm in the process of communicating with a researcher to try to identify the species and use my datum to better understand the range of this moth in Belize.
Butterflies & Moths
Sections of our course examined the high productivity and biodiversity of tropical ecosystems. Insects are a huge part of rainforest function, and were everywhere in all shapes and sizes. We set up white sheets with fluorescent lights shining on them to attract moths at night, and went on butterfly walks during the day. On one such 30-minute walk I saw about 30-40 different species of butterflies in a 100m stretch of dirt road! Here are some of the more notable specimens:
Morpho peleides - Blue morpho. Everyone on the trip wanted a photo of this large spectacular butterfly; I knew I just needed patience. Sometimes seen flying through the rainforest undercanopy, the metallic blue color is unmistakable- I followed this one for about half an hour before it landed on a leaf in the sun. Needless to say I was pretty excited!
Morpho peleides - Blue morpho. Everyone on the trip wanted a photo of this large spectacular butterfly; I knew I just needed patience. Sometimes seen flying through the rainforest undercanopy, the metallic blue color is unmistakable- I followed this one for about half an hour before it landed on a leaf in the sun. Needless to say I was pretty excited!
Pseudosphinx tetrio - Hawk moth. This one was about 7 inches long, with yellow stripes hidden on its abdomen- the "747 of the insect world" as Larry put it.
Caligo memnon - Owl butterfly. This one was slowly flapping its wings for several minutes- I got to capture the pretty steel blue color of the interior as well as the striking eyespot patterns on the outside.
Heliconius charitonius - Zebra longwing
Adhaemarius gannascus
Heraclides thoas - King swallowtail. I found this under a leaf on a night hike- what a rare find to see a diurnal species' nocturnal hiding spot!
Hawk moth caterpillar on Guy's thumb. The ridges of his fingerprint and on the caterpillar form an interesting contrast when viewed up close.
Fulgora laternaria - Peanut-headed moth, or Alligator bug (check out the teeth pattern on the head). It's not actually a moth, but a "true bug" of the Hemiptera order. Quite a shock when you first see one- then again when it jumps off of your neck- and again when it flashes open its eyespots!
I wish I could identify these last two moths. They were both very large (about 6-7 inch wingspan) with exquisite colors and patterns. The one resting on wood was my favorite- it had a lot of energy and photographing it was a chore- but the huge red eyes, bee stripes, marbelization, and subtle blue streaks are quite beautiful. The light blue eyespots and perpendicular tailfins of the other moth are also pretty cool.*Edit: I've managed to narrow down a genus for the second moth: Nothus sp. However, no one really knows anything about this insect. I'm in the process of communicating with a researcher to try to identify the species and use my datum to better understand the range of this moth in Belize.