From La Selva Ecolodge, Ecuador.
La Selva occupies an interesting place between civilization and jungle; the two are inextricably connected here, like vines on a hut.
La Selva
Weekly Photo Challenge: Half and Half
From La Selva Ecolodge, Ecuador.
The butterfly house at La Selva was beautiful. They house many different native species through their whole life cycle. These four are clustered on a sponge feeder; butterflies drink all their food, mostly nectar.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Enveloped
From La Selva Ecolodge, Ecuador.
Caterpillars have wrapped themselves in cocoons, to emerge later as butterflies. The butterfly house at La Selva had many different species, and here are a selection of the diverse cocoons they make. My husband says the ones on the bottom left look like Pokemon (he actually said Kakuna, but I’m thinking Metapod).
Weekly Photo Challenge: Blur
From Santa Cruz.
We briefly explored these giant lava tubes on Santa Cruz island; they formed long ago when surface lava cooled and hardened, but the hot lava in the center still flowed, leaving big cave-like tunnels. It’s a fascinating part of the islands’ geological history. It was dark down in the tube, so all my pictures are terrible, but I thought this one had a cool composition, looking up and out of the cave.
I want to share this butterfly photo from La Selva Ecolodge in Ecuador, because it was the one my husband picked for this challenge ❤
Weekly Photo Challenge: Orange
Fernandina
Quito
Rainforest
Bartolomé
Rainforest
From mainland Ecuador and the Galápagos islands.
Ecuador is such a colorful place! Clockwise from top left:
- Sally Lightfoot crabs are a common sight on the seaside rocks of the Galápagos islands.
- I found many flowers in the highlands around Quito.
- The minerals in the volcanic rocks of Bartolomé give them this cool (or should I say warm?) color.
- Close-up in the butterfly house at La Selva lodge in the lowland rainforest.
- I spotted these hoatzins from my cabin at La Selva; playing Amazon Trail as a kid truly prepared me for life as a biologist! 🙂
Jedi by Knight 